Splatoon: The Corruption of Ink
by AuraMasterADV13
Summary: Silver and Sapphire are the two new heroes of Inkopolis, and the Squid culture. They both defeated DJ Octavio and ruined his plan to take land from the Squids. Turns out it wasn't DJ. A more heartless shadow lurks behind the DJ, assisting each other in their work. This is the companionship between allies as well as the search for the purpose of their true powers.
1. Introduction

"Tell me do you know how when you're with me?" Callie sang into a microphone in her hand.

"You wouldn't listen, oh irony," Marie sung in response.

The Squid Sisters were on stage singing "Maritime Memory" for the celebration that was taking place. It was set in Inkopolis Plaza with the Great Zapfish residing on the tower, smiling dumbly. There were many inklings dancing in the plaza to the music provided by Callie and Marie. Although it was already past midnight, the inklings showed no signs of quitting the celebration as they continued to express their enthusiasm and excitement through the music.

Today was not Splatfest. Today was Sunday night and the next Splatfest would be held the next Saturday. The inklings of Inkopolis Plaza had gathered in the main plaza to celebrate the heroic and brave actions of Silver and Sapphire, who had defeated the army of Ontarians and their king, DJ Octavio. In return, they returned the Great Zapfish to Inkopolis City. Dressed in their gear and holding up their Hero Shots, Silver, Sapphire, and Captain Craig Cuttlefish stood on the portable stage in the middle of the plaza. There was a large group of inklings and adults cheering for the two heroes. After the Squid Sisters finished performing "Maritime Memory," they began to close out the celebration.

"Give all your gratitude and thanks to Silver and Sapphire, guys!" Callie said.

"In thanks for Silver, we will be releasing a new ink color: silver!" Marie announced gaining the interest from the crowd.

"Yes! Silver ink!" Silver exclaimed, being thrilled as Sapphire laughed.

"And in thanks for Sapphire, we will be releasing ruby and sapphire colored weapons at Ammo Knights," Callie announced as the crowd talked amongst each other in excitement.

"Yay! Red and blue, my favorite colors on my rollers!" Sapphire exclaimed, as Silver smiled at her.

"And remember, Splatfest is in a week, so be sure to vote for either Art or Science and get a T-shirt!" Marie reminded.

"Thanks again Silver and Sapphire, and stay fresh!" the Squid Sisters gave thanks and signed out.

As the Squid Sisters departed from the stage, more of the number of inklings in the crowd in the plaza began to diminish. The lights dimmed to a minimum, allowing some for the other inklings who still were energetic to participate in battles. As Silver and Sapphire jumped off their stage, they went to Captain Cuttlefish who also was slowly stepping off from the stage.

"Thanks a ton for helping us through Octo Valley, Cap," Silver spoke up with a smile, with Sapphire nodding afterwards.

"Don't thank me, thank you guys!" Captain Cuttlefish exclaimed. "If it weren't for you two lads, then the Great Zapfish would have still been in their hands! I'll always know a pair of inklings I can call when I'm in trouble" he said with a smile and a salute before trotting back to the sewer pipe to Octo Valley.

Silver and Sapphire glanced at each other and smiled as they were walking out of the gates to the plaza.

"We did it, Sapphire," Silver said tiredly. "I can't believe it though."

"Well, you could say it wasn't bad for our first time in Inkopolis," Sapphire chuckled.

"Hahaha, sure," Silver laughed at her remark.

They walked beside each other down the roads of downtown Inkopolis. Downtown Inkopolis, located in the center of the city, included Inkopolis plaza, government buildings, and the commercial shops lined up and down each street. Surrounding downtown Inkopolis was the suburban area containing houses and apartments for all the inklings and adults who took residence in the city. Downtown Inkopolis continued southward from Inkopolis Tower until Hammerhead Bridge, the southernmost point of the mainland. Silver and Sapphire passed by Urchin Underpass and Blackbelly Skatepark on their way to their apartments. Busy highways loomed over the city next to Moray Towers and Urchin Underpass in the downtown area. Walleye Warehouse and Arowana Mall were also set in the South near the southern beach, where Hammerhead Bridge and Port Mackerel were located and Saltspray Rig seen from afar. Southeastern Inkopolis was where Flounder Heights and Bluefin Depot were located, and a little ways North was the Ancho-V Games headquarters. To the far West coast of Inkopolis was a more recreative and attraction area of the city, where Museum D'Alfonsino and Mahi-Mahi Resort were located. Kelp Dome was located in the North, near the more rural vicinity of the mainland. In aforementioned rural area was where Camp Triggerfish and Piranha Pit were located.

Since Silver and Sapphire had just recently arrived in Inkopolis, they were given an apartment room for the time being until they could afford a house. Now, the two had arrived at the lobby of their apartment complex and took the elevator. Because their apartment rooms were nearly at the top floor, the elevator ride was slow, and it was filled with an awkward silence. Both Silver and Sapphire were still bewildered at the battling capabilities that they demonstrated against the Octarian army.

When the elevator reached their floor, Silver quickly stepped out and sighed heavily, for he was reluctant to stay in there longer.

"C'mon, why don't you hang out for a bit, until midnight?" Silver suggested.

"Sure, why not?" Sapphire finally agreed after thinking. "But only for thirty minutes, okay Gold?"

"T-That's not my name!" he stuttered, annoyed at the old nickname she called him.

"Whatever, let's just get inside," she laughed at him as he held the door open for her to get inside.

Silver's apartment was plain and simple, with a bunch of unpacked boxes lying around. No decorations were up and it smelled like a fresh room. There were bags of food on the counter next to some plates. The apartment was decently sized, enough room for a kitchen, a TV room, a bedroom, and a bathroom.

Sapphire set her Hero Shot on the table in front of the TV and joined Silver who was making dinner for the both of them. Silver's Hero Shot and his Hero Jacket were laying on the counter, leaving him in his black undershirt, his headpiece, and his shorts and shoes. Two small bowls of rice were made with slices of bread. Silver took both bowls and gave the other one to Sapphire, heading to the couch. Sapphire looked at her serving.

"Wow, rice and bread, huh? Like last week's Splatfest that we missed out on," Sapphire said with a disappointed look on her face.

"I guess you could say that," he said in reply taking a seat on the couch.

Sapphire set her bowl on the table next to her Hero Shot, unzipped her Hero Jacket, and shrugged it off onto the floor. She also took off the headpiece that was covering her ears, leaving her in her shoes, shorts, and black undershirt, which was cropped a little above her waist. Straightening her tentacle hair, she regained her natural blue hair. She looked down at Silver who was sitting on the couch, nibbling on his rice, looking up at her the entire time.

"Silver, stop staring at me like that!" Sapphire said angrily, though laughing at him.

"What?" Silver asked her. "It just that you're reeaally pretty," he told her in an overly boring and sarcastic tone as he looked down and nibbled at his rice.

"It's not like you said that like a million times on my birthday," she shot back.

"Well, I couldn't help it that you turned out to be beautiful in your human form," he responded with a warm smile. Sapphire sat on the couch close to him, grabbing her bowl of food. "Also, stop complaining about me, 'cause I even waited for you to turn fourteen so we could both move together here," Silver added.

"Whatever you say, Silvy," Sapphire gave up and started eating.

Silver grabbed the remote and turned on the TV to a random news channel. On the screen, it showed news about the other cities continuing South of Inkopolis on their own islands. It reminded him of his hometown. Sapphire looked up from her bowl at the news.

"Who knew we could do Turf Wars in that oil rig that we saw from the bridge to here," she pointed out.

"Or the port at the end of the bridge," Silver added. Sapphire looked at him again.

"Why are you still wearing your headpiece?" she pondered.

"Uh, I don't know. I just like it," he answered honestly. She pulled it off his ears and put it on the table. Silver looked at her with an annoyed glance.

They continued to eat their rice and bread in silence, only the sound of voices coming from the TV news. Silver set his empty bowl on the table, beginning to reminisce over his past. Sapphire noticed him in thought and put her almost empty bowl down.

"What's wrong, Silver?" she turned to him and asked.

"Oh, nothing's wrong," he replied plainly.

"But what are you thinking about?"

He hesitated. "I wonder what everyone thinks of us at home," he admitted.

"Well... They must be really proud," she tried to give her best answer. Silver took the remote and shut the TV off.

"Also, I can't believe I've gone this far with you," Silver released his thoughts. "I still remember you from my earliest memory, since our parents were friends. And then our graduation from eighth grade. Now we're here, and we just saved an entire culture single-handedly."

"...Wow, you're right," she quietly responded. She leaned her head on Silver's shoulder and pulled her legs up onto the couch.

"I'm really glad that I got to experience all of it with you, Silver. Being my closest friend through school and now. I'm grateful for it," she gave a thankful response as she fell asleep. Silver looked at her and smiled warmly. He put his feet up on the table and put his arm around Sapphire's shoulder, hugging her tightly. He looked at the digital clock under the TV.

12:01 A.M. Monday, September 14, 2015 CME

 _I guess thirty minutes wasn't enough for her,_ Silver smiled as he fell asleep alongside Sapphire.

* * *

The adult Octarians were gathered around a machine with a tray set under it. The machine was producing a substance that was spreading across the tray. Every other machine in the room was on, illuminating the darkness of the laboratory.

"We completed it sir," one of the Octarian scientists said.

"Of course," said the leader. "Now all we have to do is free DJ Octavio from that foolish snow globe, and all is set," his deep and clear voice said.

"When is the release date sir?" another asked.

"Saturday, September 19: the day of Splatfest," the leader said with a confident voice. "The Squids and other enemy species will be destroyed. Nothing will go off plan. Get the Octarians ready! We'll need an army along with the execution."

And with that, he sent everyone standing with him off to his task, leaving him alone. He shut of the machines, leaving the light shining on the tray full of the mysterious substance. He stepped back into the darkness, an evil grin shining on his face.

* * *

 **And that's it for the first chapter of my Splatoon story. Thanks a ton for reading, and I hope to see you through to the end of the story.**

 **~AuraMasterADV13~**

 _Originally published on Wattpad on August 2, 2015_

 _Republished on Wattpad and Fanfiction on July 15, 2018_


	2. Chapter 1: Battling and Exploring

It was a sunny Monday morning in Inkopolis City, and all the inklings were awake, out in the plaza and ready to battle. Others were at the local stores, buying new clothes and weapons. Inside the lobby, there were matchmaking systems going on as the readied randomized parties of eight were teleported into an arena. Even those who were battling late past midnight were up and early inking turf, ignoring and defeating their fatigue. Even so, two now well-known inklings have stayed up until midnight, and they slept in lazily for many hours, almost nearing noon.

Tiredly, Silver rubbed his eyes with one hand. The sunlight that filled the room entered through his eyelids. He glanced over to his side where Sapphire was leaning against his shoulder in rest, cuddled by his other arm, which was slung around her body. Silver smiled warmly at her as he caressed her hair slightly and softly, making her wake up. Her eyes opened slowly, still sleepy, as she turned to Silver.

"I guess thirty minutes wasn't enough for you, and you wanted to sleep here the whole night," Silver smirked.

"What?!" Sapphire shot up. "What time is it?"

"About eleven-thirty," he responded. Sighing, Sapphire sat back down and shut her eyes.

"Eh, I don't care if we slept together," she said lazily. Silver rose one of his eyebrows.

"Uhh, haha okay," Silver hesitated nervously.

Sapphire opened her eyes and looked at Silver. "I'm serious."

"Yeah, okay, but, you know," Silver was flustered, "we're not in a relationship or anything."

"Well…" she paused for a moment before looking intently at Silver, "we could be."

"What about our paren-" Silver started.

"No, no no," Sapphire interrupted. "You mean, 'what about _my_ parents,' or more like, 'what about my _mom_?' But, you know, I can't blame you. I know your mother sometimes has high expectations of you, but we're on our own now."

Silver sighed. Sapphire just _had_ to bring up a sensitive topic like his mother. Although he loved his mom, they were at odds sometimes.

"Silver, you choose. Plus, if our parents didn't trust us, they wouldn't have allowed us to move. We even accomplished such a big feat that almost no one ever has done before! So, stop worrying about what your mom would say. It's all up to you, Silver," she tried to reason with him before leaning back on his shoulder and finishing her nap.

 _She's right,_ Silver thought as he sighed quietly, not to wake up Sapphire. He thought back to many moments not that long ago, when he still lived in his hometown.

 _July 4, 2015 CME_

 _"Happy Birthday!" everyone around the table cheered. Sitting at the chair at the edge of the table, a birthday cake in front, a 14-year-old Silver blew the lighted candles, extinguishing its flames. His family and friends were gathered around him beside the table, watching him as he did. Beside Silver was a happy, slightly younger inkling who was jumping up and down in her squid form. Silver smiled at her as his mom began to serve cake to everyone._

 _After the guests who came to his party left, Silver and Sapphire were hanging out in his room, which was littered with unopened gift boxes. Their moms were in the kitchen talking, and their dads were in the living room watching broadcasted ink battles. Silver was sitting on his bed, watching Sapphire do tricks with her squid form, most of them, jumping and spinning around in the air. When Sapphire slowed down from the dizziness, Silver picked up her small body and cradled it in his hands. Her eyes looked up to him._

 _"Will you wait for me to turn fourteen so we can go to Inkopolis?" her small voice was heard. Silver hesitated._

 _"Well, isn't your birthday in two months?" Silver asked Sapphire. The squid nodded._

 _"So… you're saying I have to wait for two months to go? I was gonna go in two days!" Silver complained._

 _"Pleaseee?" her small voice pleaded._

" _No," Silver said bluntly._

" _Pleaseeeeeeee?"_

" _Nope."_

" _Pretty please?"_

"… _Nope."_

" _I'll let you sleep over at my place for my birthday."_

" _So?"_

" _We'll start getting ready and buying stuff for our trip on my birthday after we celebrate."_

" _I could do that today."_

" _I'll give you a kiss on my birthday."_

" _It's okay you don't have to."_

" _UGHHHHHHHH! I'll tell Dad that you've been bullying me!"_

" _Wow, you sure are desperate, huh?"_

" _Well… Yeah!?"_

 _Silver sighed. "Whatever. I'll wait until your birthday." Silver said as he finally gave in._

 _"Yay! Thanks, Silvy!" Sapphire jumped into his arms as Silver groaned, but still caught her happily squirming squid body in a hug._

 _September 4, 2015 CME_

 _"Silver!" a voice yelled. He tiredly opened one eye, and before he could get a glimpse of what was in front of him, he was violently smacked with a pillow._

 _Silver was sleeping in the guest bedroom of Sapphire's house. Her parents allowed him to stay there overnight, so he could see Sapphire when she turned fourteen. Though, he and her parents agreed that he would be sleeping in the guest room, for Sapphire wouldn't be clothed yet once she turned into her human form in her sleep._

 _"Silver!" a girl's voice yelled at him, with a hint of laughter. Another pillow was slammed on Silver's face._

 _"Ugh, stop it!" Silver finally said. He quickly sat up and looked in front of him. He was greeted by Sapphire, who had turned into a human form, and was slightly shorter than his height. Her tentacle hair was light blue, which was the same color as her squid form body, and had darker blue eyes. She had changed into a black undershirt, cropped above her waist, and black shorts. Silver stood uneasily from his bed with a smile. As Sapphire walked forward, she tumbled a bit, not used to walking. Silver caught her in her fall, and she regained her stance. They both sat on the bed, Silver's arm around Sapphire's shoulder._

 _"How does it feel?" Silver grinned at her._

 _"Dumb," she blurted out, "until you get used to it."_

 _The two shared a laugh. Sapphire stood up uneasily, looked down at him, and said, "Hey, Silver. Remember what I promised you on your birthday?"_

" _Huh?" Silver muttered as he completely forgot for a moment. Then he realized as he said, "Oh, that? It's okay, Sapphire. I said before that you don't have to if you don't wa-"_

 _Sapphire interrupted him as she leaned down, cupped his cheek, and kissed him on the lips._

 _As Sapphire tried to stand up straight, she fell over onto her bed into her squid form, groaning about her new form. Silver sat there still dumbfounded. After a few seconds, he licked his lips a bit._

" _Hey, Sapphire, what did you eat?"_

" _Oh, just two pouches of Poptarts. My bad," Sapphire laughed nervously as she blushed._

" _Nah, you good. Actually, let's go get some more Poptarts," Silver replied as he helped Sapphire up from the bed to go downstairs to eat breakfast._

" _Sapphire, that was amazing, by the way, holy crap," Silver gasped as he closed the door to her room. Sapphire's laughter echoed throughout the hallway._

Silver smiled at those memories. He looked beside him at Sapphire who was still napping. He stood up from the couch, leaving Sapphire sprawled on the couch. Walking quietly to his bedroom, he took a pillow, and returned to the couch. Silver began to mimic a memory from back on the morning of Sapphire's birthday.

"Sapphire!" he yelled. He took a light swing with the pillow across her face. Anger became noticeable on her face as her eyes opened.

"Sapphire!" he yelled again, but louder. Noticing her anger, he took a much slighter slap with the pillow.

"Ugh, what do you WANT?!" Sapphire stood up and smacked Silver in the face, making him drop the pillow. He fell down onto the couch, rubbing his cheek where she hit him. Sapphire looked down at him, noticing the red on his cheek.

"...Silver, oh my gosh sorry!" she apologized with insincere guilt, as she sat down next to Silver. She took ahold of his hand as she caressed his cheek and laughed, "That's what you get."

Silver groaned. "Ah, whatever," he shook away the pain, "at least you're awake now. I was planning to go battling. And shopping for gear, if you'd like."

"Sure," she responded. Quickly, she grabbed a slice of bread from the kitchen and followed Silver into his bedroom, where he changed into casual clothes. Sapphire chewed quietly on her bread, swinging her feet back and forth from the bed as she watched Silver change. He pulled a basic yellow tee over his head, and Cream Basics over his feet. Taking his time, he fitted his studio headphones onto his head.

"They aren't even plugged in," she said.

"W-Whatever, it looks good anyway," Silver stuttered before yanking it off his head. Sapphire laughed.

"C'mon, let's go. You don't need any headgear," Sapphire said, standing up from his bed. She walked behind Silver and cupped his ponytailed, short tentacle hair with her hands, giggling, and left the room.

"Hey!" Silver yelled in protest before running to catch up with Sapphire, who had already left to her room next door with all her stuff.

It was way past three o'clock in the afternoon when Silver and Sapphire finally left their apartment building, heading over to the plaza. The distance to the center plaza wasn't that far away to take a train, but enough for a bus ride. After waiting at a bus stop, the two boarded the vehicle and paid for the fee. Almost everywhere they went in Inkopolis, even on the bus, there were people who recognized them as the inklings who defeated the Octarians. The pedestrians throughout the streets crowded the two. All the attention was disturbing to mostly. This resulted in delaying the time to get to the plaza. Finally, they arrived at the plaza.

"Silver, let's go to the shops! I wanna get my sapphire-colored weapons already!" Sapphire exclaimed.

"Wait, before that, I gotta go take care of something. I'll meet you at Ammo Knights in a second, he called out, heading towards Callie and Marie's studio. Sapphire shrugged her shoulders as she parted ways with Silver.

Silver walked up the elevated pathway past the battle dojo and the groups of inklings and arrived at the second floor of the Squid Sisters' studio. The Squid Sisters were sitting at their desk, chatting away, a thin stack of papers piled in front of them. He knocked slightly on the glass door leading to the inside, to which Callie noticed and motioned for him to come inside.

"Heyyy!" Callie greeted.

"Hallo, Silver!" Marie exclaimed.

"Hi, are you guys able to make just one announcement for me?" he asked them.

"Sure, no problem, Jesus Christ!" Callie said.

"Well, what is it?" Marie questioned.

"Don't call me Jesus Christ, please," he turned to Callie. "Wait, I thought you never attended any schooling. How do you know about human history?"

"Uhh, I dunno," Callie said dumbly.

"It's okay, just ignore her," Marie interrupted. "Besides, would you rather be Jesus or some really fat Buddha?"

"Okay, can I just tell you what I gotta tell you? I gotta catch up with Sapphire," Silver sighed with a disappointed smile.

"Alright, what is it?"

"Can you tell people not to crowd around Sapphire and me like paparazzi? She's pretty startled, since this is the first time we've been able to explore Inkopolis," Silver explained.

"Aww, aren't you such a good boyfriend, aren't you Silver?" Marie cooed. "If only I had a boyfriend, but for now, I'm stuck with Callie the Cantaloupe."

"Uh, Sapphire and I aren't really in a rela-" Silver said before he was interrupted.

As if on cue, Callie came out of a random side door dressed in a cantaloupe costume. Marie facepalmed. "I was called for, for my people need me," Callie said heroically as she raised her fist in the air. "Callie the Cantaloupe, to the rescue!"

"Callie, take that crap off! We have a news update in a few minutes!" Marie groaned. "Also, sure, it will be announced next news update," Marie guaranteed after writing on her stack of papers.

"Oh, thanks a ton, Marie," Silver smiled with relief. "Being famous comes with its downsides, I guess."

"Hah, we know what it's like," Callie, who was still changing out of her cantaloupe, called out from the side room.

"Stay fresh, Silver!" Marie called out before Silver left.

Silver smiled back and waved as he exited the studio. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he continued back towards Ammo Knights in Booyah Base.

Sapphire's blue eyes scanned each shelf and row in Ammo Knights, which were filled with different kinds of weapons. She already talked to Sheldon, the storeowner, who had said that anything that she and Silver will buy will be free. "All weapons are available to our two heroes of Inkopolis," he concluded earlier. "Just don't buy any duplicates or I'll lose my job, alright?" Dragging her Hero Shot along, she made her way into the roller section. As she was reaching to take the Dynamo Roller from the wall, she heard the doors open. Turning around, she spotted Silver and ran over to him.

"Sheldon said we could get anything for free!" she informed with a squeal.

"Coolio," he responded. "I'm gonna buy a bunch of chargers."

"C'mon, let's go buy everything!" Sapphire told him as she grabbed more weapons off the shelf.

"Sapphire, let's just buy one at a time," Silver suggested as he giggled.

"Why?" Sapphire looked back at him.

"Because you'll end up with a bunch of weapons you might never use. It'll be in your room wasted," Silver explained.

"Ugh, fine!" she gave it up. "But, don't deny it," she responded suddenly, "because I know you're gonna end up getting every weapon, Mr. Flex." Silver smiled at this reference to their childhood.

"Wow, you remember that Turf War simulation video game that we used to play back home," he smiled.

"Yup, and you always knew how to play every weapon, so I _know_ you're gonna get every weapon now. I know you too well, Silver," Sapphire smirked. "Now let's get our weapons already, c'mon."

The two spread throughout the shop, looking for four weapons that they would start out to use. Suddenly, all the screens in the shop and outside the buildings attained a neon, colorful scheme, playing a remarkable melody. It was Inkopolis News time.

"Hold on to your tentacles..."

"It's Inkopolis News time!" Callie and Marie's voiced were heard, echoing throughout the area.

"The current stages set for regular battles are Arowana Mall and Bluefin Depot," Callie announced.

"And Urchin Underpass and Moray Towers are the stages available for ranked battles," Marie announced alongside Callie.

"Also, there is more information about our album, which is being released after Splatfest next week," Callie said. This brought the attention of many of the inklings in the plaza who had heard them sing last Splatfest. "Please visit .com for more info," Marie added.

"Lastly, we have an announcement that was requested by someone well-known..."

"Oh yeah, Sapphire! I forgot to tell you something!" Silver remembered and told her.

"What?"

"You all know Silver, one out of two of our heroes and defenders," Callie started.

"He's got two requests he wanted to announce," Marie stated.

 _Wait, TWO?_ Silver thought, remembering that he only gave one request.

"Firstly, he said, to stop calling him Jesus Christ," Callie said dumbly, "I dunno why, though." She shrugged her shoulders.

Right as Callie said that, Marie and Silver both facepalmed and groaned.

"Callie, you are _actually_ dumb, okay? Just let me handle it," Callie muttered.

Sapphire, Sheldon, and all the inklings in the plaza shared a hearty laughter as they listened in on the news. Marie sighed as she panned the camera towards herself.

"So, here's Silver's _actual_ announcement," Marie started. "Being famous and popular is undeniably a huge accomplishment. Please congratulate Silver and Sapphire for their recent achievements."

A soundwave of cheering resonated throughout the plaza as all the inklings expressed their best wishes for the duo. Sapphire blushed and shied away from the door to the plaza.

"That said, being famous, if you all couldn't tell, has its own disadvantages," Marie explained. "Put yourselves in their shoes for a moment. Imagine that it's your first day in Inkopolis City, but the same day, you're whisked away to a foreign land, sent on a mission to fight an entire army by yourselves. Originally, you came to Inkopolis to try your hand at ink battles, not go on missions, and I'm sure that's what they want to focus on now."

The plaza quieted down a little as the inklings thought about what Marie said. They all nodded with a content countenance as they began to understand the situation Silver and Sapphire were in.

"Thanks for understanding, guys, and stay fresh!" the Squid Sisters signed out simultaneously. The inklings in the plaza were still standing still, thinking about Silver's last request. Looking at one another, they nodded in agreement as they went about their business. A huge sigh of relief came from Silver.

"Aww, Silver, you really did that?" Sapphire asked him with a grin on her face. "You didn't have to."

"Well, I know how much you still would hate it, trying to deal with it longer," Silver answered knowingly.

"Ah, you do really know me," Sapphire calmed and gave him a quick hug.

"Come on, let's buy these."

Silver decided on the Splatterscope, E-Liter 3K Scope, Grim Range Blaster, and the .96 Gal Deco. Sapphire decided on the Krak-On Splat Roller, Gold Dynamo Roller, Kelp Splat Charger, and the Wasabi Splattershot. Afterwards, Sheldon taught them of the gear depository system. It was a machine built for depositing and withdrawing your gear to and from one's place of residence at any time. Those machines were built all across Inkopolis for convenience.

As they thanked him for the advice, they deposited three of their weapons and kept one. Holding the Gold Dynamo Roller proudly in her right hand was Sapphire, while Silver peered through the scope of his Splatterscope. The two smiled confidently at each other as they proceeded out the shop to head towards the lobby.

Inside the base of Inkopolis Tower was the lobby, which was packed and full of battlers. The ground floor, which Silver and Sapphire had just entered, extended downwards underground two more floors. It didn't really matter that the ground floor was packed. That floor and the floors below it were constructed with a wide circumference. At the ground floor, there was an elevator, taking visitors and sightseers to the top of the tower for a scenic view of Inkopolis and the islands and water surrounding it. All of the walls were screens decorating the area, showing different colors and emblems related to the different battle modes inklings could participate in. But, the lobby where the crowds and clusters of inklings met wasn't where the teams for battle were decided.

There were kettles everywhere on each floor, the tops of each illuminated with the spawn point symbol. Depending on what battle mode, the kettles were green and orange. As Silver and Sapphire stepped onto different kettles glowing green, they turned into their squid form. Instantly, their bodies had disappeared. In their point of view, they were in squid form, stationed in a virtual room with walls, a floor and a ceiling of vivid green. After a while, more squids appeared alongside them in that room. Each squid had a transparent, holographic screen displaying anyone joined in the room, and their status. Silver and Sapphire had just started in the lobby, for they were occupied with battling in Octo Valley, so they began at a low level. Silver looked around at the seven others in the room, including Sapphire, and saw everyone's gamer tag or real name if the battle tag was not set yet. Once eight people had joined, the whole room was teleported, each inkling traveling in their randomized team's ink color. Fortunately, Silver and Sapphire were on the same team.

Each stage had many synthetic replicas of it located in a digitized world, which replicated real-life physics. Each and every stage was and had to be symmetrical on both sides to prevent any advantages or disadvantages. Currently, each team had appeared on each spawn point kettle on both sides of the map.

As fast as they appeared on the kettle, the two teams advanced into battle.

It was a few hours later. The sun was setting, and Silver and Sapphire were holding their Splatterscope and Gold Dynamo Roller, respectively. Now they were heading home, already having bought some gear from Booyah Base. They became a level higher than four, but it turns out that the shop owners would be like Sheldon and given them free gear anyway. Both of them had gained experience using each of the four weapons they had gotten. Walking side-by-side, they talked along the way home, taking the same route they took yesterday.

"Not bad for our first time battling," Silver said.

"Well, we're experts now that we've battled in Octo Valley," Sapphire mentioned.

"True," Silver agreed.

"And a bunch of people stopped shooting every time they saw us," Sapphire responded. "Remember, in Bluefin Depot, you shook hands with that other guy from the other team during the battle, and then you splatted him with your Grim?"

"Haha, yup," Silver giggled.

"I was watching it from the other side of the bottom of the map. It was so stupid that I kept laughing and I couldn't play anymore," Sapphire tried to hold back her laughter.

"Also, there was this one time I was greeted this Slosher guy who put his bucket down and shook my hand with both his hands, but he put the bucket upside down, making the ink drain out of it," Silver explained.

"What?! Really?!" Sapphire couldn't hold her laughter anymore. She burst out laughing, startling pedestrians on the streets. "C'mon, let's eat dinner at your place," she suggested to him as they neared the entrance to their apartment complex.

Darkness from the outside filled Silver's apartment, only countered by one weak lamp and a TV screen. The two were standing by the door, having already taken a shower and eaten dinner. Silver was wrapped in her arms as Sapphire gave him a tight hug.

"Thanks for today. I had fun," she thanked him as she pulled away from the hug.

"No problem, and make sure you don't sleep until after noon, it's still two hours before midnight," Silver told her.

"Shut up, I won't," she pouted.

"Goodnight," they said to each other as Sapphire walked out into the hallway back to her apartment next door.

Silver stood at the door for a while before going back to turn off the TV. Going to the kitchen sink, he rinsed his hands as clear ink rushed from the faucet. Drying his hands, he turned off the lamp and walked back to his bedroom thinking back to last night with Sapphire.

Sapphire had just walked out of her walk-in closet, which had weapons on one side of the wall and gear and clothing on the other. She lazily plopped herself onto the bed and switched off the glowing lamp beside her bed. After stretching her tired body, she curled up and hugged her pillow to sleep.

There was shooting everywhere. The sun was setting, but that was the only pretty sight in the area. It had become chaos in Inkopolis. Every original stage, no digital duplicates used, was occupied by the warring Octarians and the Squids. Adult squids and inklings fought alongside each other in battle. A universal color of ink shared amongst the Squids was used in every area to prevent friendly fire. At the moment, Silver was fighting on a light-blue ink team against the Octarians, who mainly used dark fuchsia and sanitized green ink.

She and Silver were in an area on Octo Valley, advancing further than any other inkling who went to defend down in an battle stage. They had met up in a fight against three octolings, each with a Heavy Splatling in hand. All three of them had been shooting continuously at them as Sapphire and Silver dodged each round of shots and looked for an opening.

Finally, all three charged at once. Silver and Sapphire were separated, but still in front of them. Deciding where to aim, the three octolings aimed at Silver.

"NO!" a desperate cry came from Sapphire before the shots were released, pelting Silver with rapid fire ink. Sapphire was angered as she injured them heavily with a Suction Bomb and five seconds of firing ink at each octoling. There was Silver, on the ground, his light-blue hair, vivid and alive from an unused Inkstrike. Sapphire dashed over to him with tears in his eyes and kneeled next to his body. It was frail from the shots it had taken, but slightly moving. He was breathing shakily.

"SILVER!" she cried, her tears falling on his weak, unconscious body, her mournful voice echoing throughout Octo Valley.

 **~AuraMasterADV13~**

 _Originally published on Wattpad on August 11, 2015_

 _Republished on Wattpad and Fanfiction on July 15, 2018_


	3. Chapter 2: An Old Bike and New Friends

Silver inched one eye open. He rubbed his ears, thinking he heard something.

 _Bang, bang, bang._

Nope, he was correct. Slowly, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. He dragged himself out of his room towards the door, hearing more and more knocks. Then, he turned the knob and opened the door, only to be tackled by someone. It wasn't strong enough to knock him over, but then he realized Sapphire was there in front of him, hugging him tightly. Her chin rested on his shoulder. Now, he was fully awake.

"Sa- Sapphire! What's wrong?" he looked at her.

"I-I thought you were dead!" she cried, "You were shot so many times!" Silver was distraught, looking into her tearing, frightened eyes.

"Calm down, calm down," he cooed. "I'm still here, right? It's just a dream." Silver put his arm around her shoulder as he guided her to his bedroom.

They sat on the end of the bed, Sapphire's head bent down, crying. Silver had put his arm around her, trying to comfort her, but she still kept crying.

"W-we were in O-octo Valley, and s-some octolings shot y-you a lot," her voice was unsure and wavering from all the crying.

"Come on, it's just a dream, you'll get over it," Silver assured. Her crying diminished.

She stared up at him. "Can I stay here the rest of the night?" Silver sighed again, a repetition of last night.

He glanced at his alarm clock. "It's already 5:30!"

 _Please?_ She used a look that she rarely used: a cute face with anticipation.

"Ugh, fine," Silver groaned. The two scooted up the bed. Silver wrapped his arms around her tightly as she felt his body heat fill her with warmth. All her worries and distress melted away.

"...Thanks, Silver," she said kindly before drifting off to a nap. Silver said nothing in response.

* * *

"Huh, you're here way earlier than yesterday," Sheldon said, emphasizing the 'way.' Silver and Sapphire sighed. They didn't care at all what time they got up. Sheldon was inspecting some machinery at the back.

"What's that?" Sapphire asked, pointing to the machinery.

"Oh, this?" He wheeled the machine to the front. "This is a motorcycle."

Silver looked at it closely. "Is it old?"

"Yes, it is old. I mean like WAY old," Sheldon said, trying to scrub it clean.

Sapphire inspected it. The bike was black on the front top and had a tinted red windshield. There were pipes that connected from the bike to the back wheel axel on the sides. The rest of the bike was colored red. On where the windshield was connected to the bike there was a faded emblem of a red "M" on a white background, which appeared on both sides of the bike. "This definitely someone's personal bike. Someone whose name starts with 'M'," Sapphire observed.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, but since I found it, I can send it to my associates to make copies of it, which I already did," Sheldon said. He thought deeply for a while, looking at the bike. "...Since you guys are the first out of the whole city to know this. I'll give you permission to have one customizable bike, down at the repair shop outside downtown, since you're eligible to drive," Sheldon offered.

"Wait, hold on," Silver paused, "a bike?! I don't even know how to drive yet!"

"They'll teach you how at the repair shop," Sheldon said.

"Um, isn't a repair shot too little of a space?" Sapphire asked.

"Nope, trust me, it's huge, now get going. Be thankful for my offer. It's probably the only offer ever," Sheldon chuckled.

"Uh, haha, okay," Silver sweat-dropped. "Thanks," he said as the walked out of the shop and out of the plaza.

"Do you know where it is?" Sapphire asked, her eyebrows arched as they boarded a bus.

"Uhh, nope," Silver responded as the bus doors closed. Sapphire face-palmed as the bus lurched forward.

* * *

"Sheldon should've told us that it was the ONLY repair shop in Inkopolis! He wasted thirty minutes of our time!" Sapphire complained. The two were standing in front of the giant warehouse building with eight garages and lanes coming out the side of it.

"Well, it would've been longer if it weren't for that random guy on the street who recognized us," Silver remembered.

"I don't care. Come on, let's get your bike!" she said as she took his arm and pulled him inside the building.

Inside the building, there were many adult squids and horseshoe crabs running around. Most of the horseshoe crabs tended to the vehicles driving inside for an inspection and most of the squids seemed to work in offices and in the back repairing with some other horseshoe crabs. There, they went up to a desk and asked someone about Sheldon.

A horseshoe crab walked in from the back. "Hi, I'm Sheldon's associate, Archie." They both shook his hands. "Sheldon did mention two inklings coming about a bike. I guess you guys are the two. Come follow me to the back where you can customize your bike," Archie said as he gestured them to follow him through a back door.

Inside the back door, there was a garage filled with toolboxes and machinery. On a holder sat a new but unpainted motorcycle, having the same shape as the one in Armor Knights.

"So what do you want on it?" Archie asked with a grin. Then, it was followed by a series of arguments and agreements whispered between Silver and Sapphire. Then, they made their decision.

"Silver where it used to be red," Silver pointed.

"And blue where it used to be black," Sapphire added.

"Well, what about the emblem?"

"Ugh!" Sapphire complained as she turned to Silver. There was a large amount of silence before they started whispering and making shapes with their fingers. Archie sighed. Then, they finally decided.

"A square of silver with a star of blue in the middle."

"Okay. But as I paint it, you should have lessons out in the back with my workers," Archie said.

"Wait, what back?" Silver asked, "Isn't this the back already?"

After he said that, Archie pressed a button on the wall, opening the wall of the garage to reveal a racecourse paved through the grassy terrain and the trees. The place was in between the tall towers and buildings, which made it seemingly unreachable. Idle sprinklers were scattered throughout the field.

"Wow, I've never seen this area before," Sapphire said as they walked toward the other squids in the area. "C'mon, let's get you your motorcycle."

* * *

 _Splat_

 _Splat_

 _Splat_

 _Where is my freakin' team?!_ Frank thought angrily. He sighed as he camped out behind a wall with the Rainmaker, waiting for his team.

Back at spawn, two inklings were complaining about Frank.

"What the heck is Frank doing?!" Aiden yelled out loud.

"I know! We splatted all four of them and he's just hiding behind a wall a few FEET from the goal!" Chloe complained as all three of them super jumped towards Frank.

"Shut up. You know Frank is the leader of this squad, so he knows best," Hank said, a scowl on his face.

"BUT THIS IS RANDOM MATCHMAKI-" Aiden yelled at him as they landed, but as soon as their feet touched the ground, all three of them were splatted seeing as how Frank retreated to shoot aimlessly.

"HE DIDN'T EVEN PROTECT US WHEN WE WERE JUMPING IN!" Chloe was irritated. Just behind them after they left the spawn, Frank followed along.

"If you guys hadn't died, then we would've won," Frank said, frowning.

Chloe gathered none of her personality, but all of her anger, rage, and most importantly, her vocabulary.

"You *******! I can't deal with your ****! You just **** around and don't trust us!" Chloe unleashed, swimming through a fourth of the way of Blackbelly Skatepark. "I'm just gonna jump around at the tower in the middle while you ********* figure out what to do. Come on, Aiden," Chloe said, detouring from. Aiden was astonished at how much she cursed, but eventually followed her.

"F-fine, I don't need you. Let's go, Hank," Frank stuttered as they swam up to the rainmaker.

 _Splat_

 _Splat_

They both were splatted as Chloe and Aiden watched as the other team capped the base at their turf with the rainmaker. Then everyone in the battlefield was transported back into a virtual room as they viewed the results. A knockout for the "bad guys" and negative ten points for Frank's team. Now the team was back at the lobby.

"What the heck was that?! You should've helped me!" Frank grabbed Chloe's shirt collar and yelled at her.

"THERE WAS A KRAKEN! I WOULD'VE DIED ANYWAYS!" Chloe screamed, struggling to get out of his grasp.

 _Splat_

Frank got splatted and disappeared in front of her. Holding his weapon in the air, Aiden took Chloe's hand and ran out of the lobby, completely ignoring Hank.

"Come on, let's get out of here before Frank spawns at a kettle," Aiden said.

"Oh, sure," Chloe said, "And, umm, sorry about my language earlier."

"Whatever. It already happened," Silver responded as the two blended in with crowds of inklings and snuck between alleyways, momentarily waving at their friend, Spike.

* * *

Silver's training bike slowed to a stop as Silver put a foot on the ground as he sat on the bike. He already navigated the whole course with his bike, quickly gaining balance and control of his driving. Silver ink was sprayed beside the road just in case he fell off, but it wasn't needed.

"Wow, you're pretty good," Sapphire remarked as she walked out of the garage from watching him.

"Y'know, there's also another seat behind him for dual riders," an adult squid said. "You can go on and try." Sapphire started to grin. She ran over and hopped on behind Silver. Silver got anxious about her sitting behind him.

"Are you sure about this?" He called out to the squid.

"Yeah, totally," he responded in a laid back manner. "And that written test for traffic rules that you took in between test drives was passed, and you're good to get a license."

"Awesome," Silver replied as he stepped on the gas, making Sapphire hang on to his waist, a slight blush on Silver's face.

After a few good minutes, the pair got back and Silver braked. Sapphire staggered off the bike, with Silver holding her up with her hand. The adult squid from earlier returned.

"Go for just one more round, Silver. Get used to this. Just push push back forcefully on the foot pedals until you hear a clicking sound," he instructed. Silver did as he was told and suddenly leaned forward. He then activated the gas.

As Silver went through the track again, he found out that the experience was rather exhilarating. Not really the casual ride from earlier. It was like zipping through the air. As he leaned towards a side when he turned a corner, he found it easier to lean than to steer. Because of this form, which was meant for speed, it took Silver less time to complete the course. As he came back to the beginning of the course, the adult squid helped him off his bike.

"Now, don't go off and using that in traffic," he warned.

"That was really fast, Silver," Sapphire commented.

"Yeah, well wait until you ride it like that," Silver responded. As they both followed the squid back into the garage back to Archie.

Inside the garage, Archie was standing next to a propped, shiny, coated, and freshly-painted motorcycle, the blue top of it gleaming from the light. Pinched in between his two fingers was a real driver's license with Silver's information inscribed on it. As soon as Silver arrived, he flicked the card to him, and he caught it just barely. Sapphire peered over his shoulder to get a closer look at it. Finally, Silver slipped it into his pocket.

"Thanks, Archie," Silver said, shaking his hand.

"Thank Sheldon. Without him, you wouldn't have gotten that bike," Archie said, nodding and sending him and Sapphire out the back.

Then, Silver wheeled it to the side of the road. Seating himself on top of it, he motioned for Sapphire to sit behind him.

"We'll go home and eat lunch, change, and then buy some weapons and try some ranked battles, 'kay?" Silver suggest, glancing behind him to Sapphire, who nodded with a smile. Sapphire wrapped her arms around Silver's waist as he sighed, pulling into a lane on the way home.

* * *

Silver and Sapphire had bought four new weapons: the Splat Charger, Tentatek Splattershot, Kelp Splat Charger, and .52 Gal. Out of those four, they entered the lobby with Silver using the Tentatek Splattershot and Sapphire using the Kelp Splat Charger. This time, she thought it would be cool to have Sheldon give her a blue themed weapon, which was released in celebration of her and Silver saving Inkopolis. Her Kelp Splat Charger had a blue body and a blue stream of light when charged, instead of the regular ink color. As the two entered the lobby, before going to the kettles, they were suddenly pulled aside by two inklings.

"What the heck? What is this?" Silver yelled in surprise.

"Shh, we don't need anyone thinking that we robbed you," the boy said. "By the way, the name's Aiden."

"And I'm Chloe," the girl beside him spoke up.

The four were all close in height. Sapphire was only a bit less than two inches shorter than Silver. Chloe was only one inch shorter than Sapphire, and Aiden was in the middle of Silver and Sapphire, making Silver the tallest of the four. Aiden had dark-purple hair, and Chloe had pink hair. Aiden was equipped with the regular Splat Roller while Chloe held the Custom Jet Squelcher.

"Can you join us for a Squad Battle?" Chloe asked the two.

"Wait, what rank are you guys?" Aiden questioned them. Silver scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Well, we're about to do our first ever Ranked Battle," Silver explained.

"And the only mode I understand is Splat Zones," Sapphire added.

"Well, since this your first, will you listen to us?" Aiden asked.

"Umm, sure," Sapphire responded slowly.

"Okay," Aiden said, picking the farthest corner of the enormous room to plan. "So, I didn't really catch your names."

"Oh, right, my name is Silver, and this is Sapphire," he introduced as Sapphire gave a small wave.

"Okay, cool. First of all, the goal for Rainmaker is to bring this inkzooka-like machine to the goal on the other team's turf. Whoever gets the furthest wins. If you get the rainmaker, you can only attack by charging and releasing shots with it only. Most importantly, at the end of a match, there might be overtime. At that point, if the other team has it, all you have to do is splat the guy who has it and don't let them take the lead. If we have it during overtime, be careful and push forward until you take the lead, got it?" Aiden explained rather quickly. Silver and Sapphire nodded.

"Uhh... Silver, right. You got the Tentatek, right?"

"Yup."

"When you get to the rainmaker shield, throw your Suction Bombs at it, and it will help us explode it in our color. And if you guys see that the shield's gonna explode in their color, take cover quickly, or you'll get splatted by the explosion," Aiden explained with Silver nodding in understanding. "When you get your Inkzooka, and you KNOW you can't beat someone in a one on one, or see a place where they're all crowded up, use it instantly."

While Aiden was explaining to Silver, Chloe and Sapphire were doing the same.

"You've got one of the lowest range chargers ever, so when you see another sniper, do your best to dodge their shots and get into range. Strafing is important too. One thing you can do is put your Sprinkler right next to the shield, but not on it. It will help us explode it. Also, put it on places so we have good maneuverability and that you charge your special faster. Use the Killer Wail on the shield, or where the other team is cornered. Got it?" Chloe explained. Sapphire only nodded so that Chloe wouldn't have to explain again.

"Come on, let's go!" Aiden exclaimed as the four went into a Squad Battle kettle. Silver and Sapphire looked at each other, totally unsure about this.

* * *

The battle stage was Kelp Dome. Aiden's squad color this round was yellow while the opposing team's was pink. Silver sighed heavily as the round started, all four of them rushing to the middle.

Sapphire took her own route, going around the side. She ended up near the middle, her back against the wall, aiming at the other opponents. Remembering her advice, she threw the Sprinkler on the ground next to the Rainmaker shield.

 _Splat_

Not realizing, she had sniped another sniper on the opposing team. Then, she felt a rush of excitement. Her first successful snipe.

Silver and Aiden had thrown their Suction Bombs at the Rainmaker shield. Silver kept shooting it while Aiden went to the other side and battled with the other team. Chloe stayed at the wall where the team scaled to get to the middle, and using her long ranged weapon, she fired at the shield, threw Burst Bombs, and covered turf to charge her special, the Kraken.

In no time flat, the shield was broken in Aiden's team's favor. Though, the explosion didn't splat anyone else. Silver, who was closest to it, took it and went his own route. At that time, the charger that Sapphire splatted came back. An E-Liter 3K. The three did their best against the four, dodging every snipe and shot and bomb of ink that the other team released. In his mind, Aiden started to regret inviting the other two, mostly Silver. While in battle he hated how Silver was nowhere in sight and that he had the rainmaker. Just then, an enormous tornado of yellow ink was shot from behind the other team who was standing on the wall, splatting all of them. Aiden and Chloe stood there dumbfounded as the round ended with a flash of light from where Silver stood proudly from capping the base with the Rainmaker.

As they were teleported through the virtual room, all four of them saw the results: an image of Judd declaring a knockout to the "good guys." What caught their eye was that the other team had all four S+'s. Then the squad appeared in the lobby. There was an excited Sapphire standing next to a smirking Silver. Aiden and Chloe stood still, their mouths agape, dumbfounded at what just happened.

"Wow..." Chloe stammered, "I never won Rainmaker that fast before..."

"Wait, where even WERE you?" Aiden tried to comprehend.

"I walked over the walkway made of grates and got to the base really quickly. I just decided last minute to splat all of the other team before finishing. I thought this was a difficult mode," Silver explained.

Aiden face-palmed. "UGHH! I'm so stupid! I've played Rainmaker hundreds of times on Kelp Dome and I never bothered to take that route!"

"You guys are really good!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Haha, well, it was only my first," Silver attempted to be modest.

"And it was a team of S+! You got fifty points!" Sapphire noticed from when she was in the virtual room. The squad stood there quietly, nit knowing what to say. Then, Aiden spoke up.

"I know it's a little to fast, but can you guys join out PERMANENT squad?" Aiden requested.

"Of course!" No better way to get my rank up!" Silver accepted as the newly-joined squad entered another Ranked Battle.

* * *

It was slightly dark in Sapphire's apartment room. Silver's new bike was parked in the basement parking garage for the residents of the apartment complex. She and Silver were standing by the front door, for Silver was ready to leave for the night.

"Did we just find two friends today?" Sapphire asked Silver.

"Yup, and I hope we'll have a fun time with them," he responded. "And don't forget, they want to continue Ranked Battles with us at nine in the morning."

"No problem. I'll be awake 'cause of that dream," Sapphire said half-heartedly. Silver frowned.

"Ugh, don't say that," he said.

"Fine," Sapphire grunted as she wrapped her arms around Silver and rested her chin on his shoulder. Something Silver expected she would do. He accepted it as he caressed the back of her head slightly.

"Goodnight," he smiled as he left for the door.

"Goodnight," she repeated softly as she returned to her room.

* * *

"The other octolings will think this is white ink," a grunt muttered. Unfortunately the leader heard it.

"I recommend you stop with the immaturity or you'll get kicked off the operation team," his clear voice warned.

"Sorry, boss," the grunt quickly apologized.

"It doesn't even look like the white ink. It's more clear and fluid," a scientist working on the team said.

"Good observation," the leader said. "Again, once you release this into the kettles, it will affect everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. All kettles are connected to each other," he explained. "But there is only one way to get rid of this substance, but I'm absolutely positive that those squids will never bother to try."

"Well, what is it?" an Octarian asked.

"You should know, since you're on the team," the leader said. That silenced the Octarian.

"Once this is put into effect, it will end the those squids. This is payback. Revenge for losing the war," the leader said confidently. "Now come, I'll show you how this substance will change them." The grunts and teams looked at each other, wonder what would be next. The scientist smirked, knowing what the leader would show.

The leader led them into another room. This room had a large and wide table with a black veil covering it. As the leader unveiled it, the others gasped. Shiny, metal, brutal weapons were revealed. Each one that looked like it would give a harsh, terrifying death.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi guys, it's AuraMasterADV13 with another part of this story. D** **on't forget to vote, share, and comment. Please, I want comments. I want to know what you guys think. I don't know, comment about Splatoon, my story. I feel stupid knowing that the latest comments were about white ink. Dat good gooey stuffs...**

 **And most importantly, enjoy the story!**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	4. Chapter 3: A Growing Friendship

"You look tired," Silver pointed out.

"Well, maybe it's because I had that dream again," Sapphire grunted as she looked down at her feet while walking.

"Uhh, I'm sorry," Silver tried to maker feel better.

"...Look, it's not your fault. They just happen," Sapphire looked at him.

"Okay," Silver said as Sapphire took his hand in hers.

"I still don't get why you didn't take your bike here," Sapphire said as they walked into the plaza.

"Well, I have no idea where to park it," Silver said. "And I don't get why they give drivers licenses to inklings who just learned how to walk," he added.

It was a Wednesday morning, the taller buildings casting a slight shade in the plaza. The plaza was half full, but the two assumed that everyone was mostly inside the lobby. Silver and Sapphire glanced up towards the glass building where Callie and Marie were sitting, having a chat. Almost immediately, the Squid Sisters saw them and waved enthusiastically at them. The pair laughed and waved back. Before looking for Aiden and Chloe, they, went to Armor Knights. There, Sapphire somehow convinced Silver to buy everything at once. Depositing their new weapons into the gear depository system, they went out to find their friends. Sapphire was holding the E-Liter 3K Scope and Silver was equipped with the N-Zap '89. Looking everywhere around the plaza, they finally spotted Aiden and Chloe under a tree. Aiden was resting the tank of the Heavy Splatling on his Shoulder while Chloe leaned on the handle of her Gold Dynamo Roller.

"Took you long enough to find us," Aiden said, coming out from under the tree, followed by Chloe.

"Well, I couldn't really find you quickly since you were in the shade," Silver mumbled.

"Well, anyways, let's go battle," Aiden said with the other three nodding.

* * *

The squad was now sitting at a restaurant in downtown Inkopolis. It was past noon, and they looked tired from battling. Chloe especially. Her arms were weak from swinging her Gold Dynamo Roller. They all had already ordered food and were sipping their drinks. Sapphire had downed her whole glass of soda in less than a minute and was asking for a refill. But mainly, all four of them were sitting in silence. Silver was finding it too awkward, so he managed to ask something.

"So, what do you guys wanna talk about?" he asked quietly.

"...We should talk about ourselves. After all, we just met," Aiden responded. Silver nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you guys a couple?" Chloe spoke up.

"Ugh, I wish we were," Sapphire complained. Silver blushed and scratched the back of his head. Then, noticeable snickering came from Aiden. Chloe tried to nudge him to stop.

"That's the first time that after that question, the two people didn't scream 'no' and turn away from each other, blushing," Aiden started to laugh louder. Chloe gave in.

"So you're saying all that time you guys were in Octo Valley camping out, you never were dating?" Chloe smirked.

"Wait, you bring up that we defeated the Octarians now?" Sapphire raised an eyebrow. "Why not when you pulled us aside in the lobby yesterday?"

"Well, you did say not to go and scream 'AHHHHHHHHH HELLO' in Inkopolis News Time, didn't you?" Aiden glanced over at Silver who chuckled.

"If _you_ don't mind me asking, are you guys a couple?" Sapphire repeated what Chloe asked earlier. Chloe looked at Aiden slowly, who then nodded afterward.

"Actually, we are," Aiden said proudly. "We met up at last Splatfest. I was touring one of the stages in recon mode at midnight. There were a bunch of other inklings there touring too. I was just inking my way around Camp Triggerfish, looking up at the fireworks and the starry sky. But then, when I got to the middle, I heard two voices yelling at each other. So, I creeped behind the wall over to the other side. There, I saw Chloe and her boyfriend who were arguing! So I stepped up and told him to back off, and he didn't, so I pushed him in the water!" Aiden exclaimed. He explained it like he deserved to get the Nobel Peace Prize for it.

Or some ice cream.

As Aiden looked around the table and saw some awkward smiles, and decided to add something. "At that point, I realized that if you piss Chloe off, she'll become really, really vulgar."

"Aiden! Why did you mention that?!" Chloe seemed angry. She turned to Silver and Sapphire. "Don't worry about it. I don't really curse THAT much." Silver and Sapphire started to giggle.

"So where do you guys come from?" Aiden wanted to continue the conversation.

"We come from Takoroka City. One of those cities across the water," Silver responded. "What about you?"

"It turns out all four of us are from the same hometown," Chloe said.

"That's weird. I've never seen Chloe or you guys around, even if it was one big school that the whole city had," Aiden said, trying to remember if he met the others at school.

"So, when did you guys come to Inkopolis?" Sapphire asked.

"Only two weeks ago," Chloe confirmed.

"Wow, we arrived one week before that," Silver gave his input. "We only had time for unpacking and getting to our apartment before Captain Cuttlefish dragged us down into Octo Valley. Then, it took us three weeks of camping out there and battling until this Sunday, when we finally beat Octavio."

 **(Imagine only learning how to walk at the age of fourteen and some old military commander tells you to go to some random place and shoot people. It would take you at least three weeks, at most four months. Silver and Sapphire aren't gamers with a gamepad, guys.)**

"Cool," Aiden said. "That's sad for you guys. We've been grinding our level and rank all that time and participated in Splatfest. I guess you get all that fame though."

"So, what about, um, family?" Chloe managed to get out.

"They're just ordinary parents, supportive, cheering, but they must be flipping out on the news about what we did," Silver chuckled as Sapphire smiled. "What about you?" Sapphire asked back.

There was silence.

"...I'd rather not talk about it," Chloe said depressingly. Sapphire had a regretful expression on her face.

"Sorry," Sapphire apologized.

"It's okay, and my parents are ordinary too," Aiden answered for her.

At that moment, four plates filled with bacon cheeseburgers were delivered to them on the table with a side of waffle fries. Silver and Sapphire looked at each other, licking their lips. Aiden and Chloe were both looking at their food hungrily. All four looked at each other. Toasting their glasses of soda, in Sapphire's case, an empty glass, they celebrated a new friendship and dug into their food.

* * *

It was late into the afternoon as the squad of friends walked into the lobby. They were heavily chatting along the way, playfully making fun of Sapphire for having to go pee so much for drinking too much soda. Other than that, she was hyper when she skipped around and talked to them. Taking their turns, they switched out their weapons in the gear depository system. Silver took out his Range Blaster and Sapphire continued using her E-Liter 3K Scope. Aiden equipped himself with the Jet Squelcher as Chloe took out her Krak-On Splat Roller. They then set themselves up in a kettle for Squad Battle, Tower Control.

"Noooooo wayyy," Chloe mumbled. She looked beside her to the other squad. Frank, Hank, and a bunch of inklings who didn't seem to want to be part of his squad.

"Is that Frank?!" Aiden said, cursing his luck as both opposing squads were whisked away into Moray Towers.

* * *

Aiden's team was purple while Frank's Team was yellow. Sapphire looked off to the side. Highways and cars were everywhere. Through all those roads and vehicles, she caught a glimpse of Urchin Underpass. Stormed by three light-blue Inkstrikes and a Killer Wale.

As the match started, Aiden led the team, inking a path for them with his Burst Bombs that he threw every time they jumped off a tower. As they got the to the platform nearest to the center, they had found out that Frank's team had already gotten on the tower to the help of one of the other girl inkling's Seeker. As the boy inkling with the Splattershot Pro threw a Splat Bomb to where the group were standing, they had to jump out of the way.

 _Splat_

 _Splat_

Sapphire managed to snipe Hank, who was holding a Carbon Roller, but not before she was splatted by the boy who threw a seeker.

Silver was advancing forward, using his Splash Wall as the tower neared him. Because of the Range Blaster's Impact, he managed to splat both Frank and the boy, but the girl had jumped off the side and plummeted off Moray Towers. With no one on the tower, he jumped on the tower, which went back towards Frank's turf.

Sapphire, who already respawned, climbed up the massive wall on the sides and made a sniping post there. Aiden and Chloe climbed up the smaller wall in the middle, shooting the girl and boy inkling who tried to jump down and splat them. Keeping their back to the tower, they kept a watchful eye if anyone dropped down behind them, and at the same time shooting upwards at Frank and Hank. Even Sapphire didn't have to do anything. Silver had bounced a Splash Wall off of a tower and it landed on the tower he was standing on. The Splash Wall was able to block any shots or bombs that came. In this case, there were a lot of them. As the tower ended its route on the zone, finishing the game, a late Inkstrike from the Splattershot Pro rained down on Silver, who was invincible because the round had ended. A furious Frank turned around and glared at the Splattershot Pro inkling. Starting to yell vulgar curses at the boy, all eight were transported back to a virtual room and viewed the results of the obvious knockout.

When all eight were back at at the lobby, the other two random inklings ran somewhere else. Aiden marched up to Frank and Hank

"Do you really trust some random kids who don't know you, to win the match for you?!" Aiden yelled at him.

"Well, y-yeah, since they would listen to me," Frank responded.

"They sure won't if you boss them around, and they don't trust you," Aiden said. "Maybe you can beat us next time if you have a solid team who you trust work well with." He glared. Frank stuck up his ring finger in imitation to his middle finger, and stormed away, with Hank following him behind. In the distance, the group could see him slicking back his gelled, black hair, thinking he was still cool.

Chloe snickered. "H-he can't even stick up his real middle finger. That's how pathetic he is." She made the group laugh.

"Well, thanks. You guys helped us get to a B+ rank," Silver thanked them.

"Thank you too! You helped us beat up that guys a-butt!" Chloe said, ending it nervously. Sapphire snickered, noticing her change of words. The group exited Inkopolis Tower into the plaza. Aiden and Silver shook hands as they said goodbye. Silver and Sapphire began to head off towards their apartment, leaving Aiden and Chloe to stay in the plaza.

* * *

The golden rays of the setting sun shone through the window of Silver's apartment. It made the room that they were in appear golden. Silver and Sapphire were again eating dinner in front of the TV. They were watching an action and romance movie about a guy and another guy who fought for a girl's love through Turf War. Silver was blankly staring at the television screen while Sapphire was fidgeting around. Finishing her bowl of food, she set it on the table and leaned her head on Silver's shoulder. In response, he set his plate on the table and slung his arm around her and scooted closer to her.

Now this is exactly what Sapphire didn't understand.

"Silver... Do you like me?" Sapphire asked in a whisper.

"Of course I like you, Sapphire," he responded plainly.

"No, I meant-" Sapphire tried to correct him, but he interrupted.

"Yes, I know you mean in a romantic way," Silver sighed. "Yes, I do. Absolutely. I like you in that way."

"Then," Sapphire started nervously, "why aren't we... in a relationship?"

"...I don't know," Silver answered. "...I-I don't really know what's stopping me from being in a relationship." Sapphire broke away from his embrace and turned to him.

"Look, I love you, Silver, but I want you to accept it. I want it to be real, and solid. You were always my best friend and cared for me when we were younger," she admitted. Silver opened his mouth to say something, but she interrupted.

"...Please, think about it," she said. She placed a kiss on Silver's cheek. Standing up, she brought her empty bowl to the kitchen and headed for the door. "Goodnight, Silver," she said goodbye as she walked out the door and closing it slowly.

Silver's cheeks were bright red from blushing. He felt his heart flutter as she kissed him. Of course there was no denying that he liked her back, but there was still a random tugging in his heart to wait. Sighing heavily, he brought his plate to the sink and washed it, alongside Sapphire's. He turned off the TV and closed the blinds, seeing that the sun had already set. Thinking about what Sapphire said, he walked back to the bedroom to sleep.

* * *

The girl squinted through her window across the street and into an opened room. There, she saw Silver and Sapphire. Since they got popular, the girl always followed Silver and had a crush on him. Seeing Sapphire kiss him disheartened her, but when she left and she saw that Silver sat there still. She began to get the assumption that Sapphire didn't want him. As Silver shut his blinds, the girl across the street in the other building did the same. Sitting back down on her bed, she began to read more articles about the duo. Her mind was forming a plot. One surely to get Silver's attention, even if Sapphire didn't.

* * *

The leader of the group of Octarians showed them each of the weapons on the table. There was a shiny, black shotgun, a sniper with a scope, a gatling gun, a rifle, a rusty bucket, and the steel cylinder wheels dismantled from a steamroller. Aside from that, there were grenades, sticky bomb, mines, and a fat potion of poison.

"See, these look like those weapons that the Squids and we use. The scientists and I have discovered these ancient weapons, which I assume were probably used by the creatures that once walked upon this land," the leader said. The others looked at the weapons with interest.

"Take a look at this weapon," a scientist pointed at the metal cylinders. "These used to be the wheels of a vehicle that flatted everything it ran over. If it was used on a creature, it would be crushed and would die instantly. But now, they resemble the Splat Roller." The others nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, I have managed to capture the essence and characteristics of these weapons and convert it to a deadly liquid form. Anyone in contact with the liquid will be affected like these weapons have affected past lives," the leader explained.

"But, boss, won't they respawn into their kettles?" a grunt questioned.

"As I said," the leader chuckled. "The past people couldn't respawn when they got hurt. Sadly, since we touch it, it will affect us to, but we know how to handle it."

"Wait, so what will happen to them?" another asked.

"They will feel, at most, pain and suffering. They shall be injured and wounded," the leader said.

The leader gave a knowing look to all of them. He crossed his arms and said, "Absolutely. No point of coming back. Kettles shall be null through this substance. They can transport, but not heal."

"If not healed, the wounds will and SHALL stay. No one is safe."

* * *

 **That's it for this chapter! A new character introduced, the girl stalking Silver out her window to her room. Who knows what she'll have for the future? I don't think any soul in the world knows!**

 **Well, except for me.**

 **And here's the debut of our human, mortal weapons. All those dangerous weapons no one likes to see except for police, government, and psychos.**

 **Also, Silver is still unsure about a relationship with Sapphire. Will he ever be in one?**

 **Actually, that's really dumb and stupid of me to ask.**

 **REALLY IMPORTANT: I have school next week. I absolutely hate it cuz it's boring. No one really talks to me and I'm just that boy, sitting in the corner at lunch. Even if I get good grades, I don't get good friends. But, really, I'm so thankful to have met everyone on Wattpad. It's been a good experience even I've never seen any of you in person. Since school is around now, I will try my hardest to update this story. I HAVE NO IDEA. I CAN'T TELL THE FUTURE.**

 **But I can definitely change it. :)**

 **But anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying the book! Vote if you love, share if you love, and comment so I can know your guys' opinions and so I could talk to you guys. Thanks, and see you next chapter. ~AuraMasterADV13**


	5. Chapter 4: New rivals and Enemies

"You had that dream again?" Silver asked. They were walking out of the apartment building onto a street.

"Yeah... I really hate it," Sapphire sighed heavily.

"Well... Just forget about it. We were gonna take a break from battling so we could hang out with Aiden and Chloe," Silver tried to lessen her worries. "Do you know where they live?"

"Yup," Sapphire said, showing a random map on her phone. "I still can't believe that I forgot I had a phone. It was just sitting on my table."

"Well, me too," Silver said, feeling around his pockets for his phone. "We were just so caught up in that mission." Silver looked ahead in the distance for any sign of a store. "Go ahead to their place. I'll meet up with you later. I just gotta buy some groceries for the two of us."

"Okay, thanks, and I'll tell them when I get there," Sapphire responded. The two of them nodded as they headed separate ways. Little did they know of the girl standing silently in front of her apartment across the road, staring at them intently.

* * *

As Silver finally located the supermarket, he started heading towards it. It was a few blocks ahead of him. Suddenly, he was pulled away from the sidewalk into a tight alleyway. His mouth was clamped with a person's hand, preventing him from making any noise. All he knew was that the person that kidnapped him was slightly smaller than he was. Around Sapphire's height. Now, Silver thought he was at the deepest part of the alleyway. It was a dead end, and the few rays of sunlight were coming in from the top.

As the hand was removed, and all the restrictions on him were gone, he quickly turned around to face a purple-haired girl. She was wearing clothes made to impress people. For a girl inkling, she was sexy and beautiful; above the average inkling girl. She had an Octoling Suit Replica with a Squid-Stitch Cap, which was pink and white, and turned to the side. She was also wearing Moto Boots.

Silver was completely stunned. "W-who are you?" he asked curiously.

"I'm Clarisse," she smirked. "You're Silver."

"Yes, I am, but why did you drag me here?" he asked.

"I can sense you have a problem, a problem with Sapphire," Clarisse said, remembering what she saw through the window.

"W-wait, how'd you know?" Silver stuttered out his question.

"That doesn't matter one bit," she came extremely close to him, making him back toward the wall. She placed a hand on his chest. "I'm here to eliminate that problem. You can stay unsure and uncertain with Sapphire, or have a luxury and a romantic life with me," she said seductively. She cupped his cheek with her other hand. Silver's arms were against the wall, for he didn't want to go any further. She pressed her body against his, making their faces extremely close.

"It certain what you want, Silver. I remember you back in that one school all throughout eighth grade. Ever since then, I have never forgotten about you, and now I see you're on the news in Inkopolis," she said. "Sapphire, without your confidence, or me; everything you want in a girl."

"L-look, Clarisse," Silver interrupted. "You can't just drag me here and expect me to say yes. If you can't sa-mmmmfff." Clarisse pressed her lips against his. To Silver, unexpectedly, it felt good. Like really good. It made him feel warm and made him want to make out with her more. After a while, Clarisse broke away.

"How about now?" she smirked.

"...I-I, umm..." Silver was speechless.

"I know how you guys feel," she said, "If you want to feel like this forever, you can stay with me. I have more I can do." her smooth voice made Silver inattentive. She pressed her lips onto his in another lip-lock. Finally Silver gave into it, and he placed his hands on her waist as they kissed more.

In his mind, all he felt was warmth. Like something that broke free. Something that was locked up inside of him that he couldn't express became free. But then, an image of Sapphire flashed through his head. Her kiss on the cheek. Their friendship that lasted nearly their whole life. Her feelings for him. All the moments they shared in the span of their life. Was it all worth it to just throw away?

 _"Look, I love you, Silver, but I want you to accept it. I want it to be real, and solid. You were always my best friend and cared for me when we were younger." A hopeful expression was on her face._ Silver remembered.

He pushed her forcefully away. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave Sapphire like this," Silver told Clarisse. He started to walk down the alleyway.

"No!" Clarisse grabbed his shoulder. "All the love you want, I WILL give to you."

"Listen, Clarisse," Silver turned around with a glare. "Love isn't instant. It is gradual. You can't expect to marry someone you just met, or something. I've been with Sapphire since we were really young. My friendship that I had with her has grown into... Love," he finally said it himself. "This isn't love that you're experiencing, or TRYING to make me experience. It's lust. And I don't do that stuff," Silver said, as he felt all the bottled up emotions inside of him release.

This was enough to shut her up, so he left her there in the alleyway, a swarm of curses from her being yelled at him.

* * *

Now, Sapphire had arrived in front of the apartment building that Aiden and Chloe lived in. She grabbed her phone to text Chloe that she was there. Right after she sent it. Then, suddenly, she was grabbed by the waist by someone, and she yelped. She turned her head towards the person behind her, and it was an inkling boy, but about two years older than her.

"You, lost?" the older boy asked her.

"No! Eww! Get off me!" Sapphire yelled at him.

"Why should I leave a cute girl like you?" he asked her with a glint in his eyes.

"B-because I have a boyfriend!" she told a lie.

"Hah, don't lie. You probably don't." he ran his hands up her back and down to her waist. Sapphire shivered and screamed as he connected his lips with hers. Her scream was muffled through the kiss.

"Hey! Get off her!" a familiar voice yelled. The kissing stopped. Sapphire looked up to see Aiden standing next to a snickering Chloe. Sapphire blushed heavily as she took the chance to get away from him. Chloe took a step forward and kneed him where every sensible girl would have kicked that kind of guy.

"AHHHH!" his scream was loud. Aiden and Chloe brought Sapphire inside and slammed the door.

As they were in the elevator, Sapphire wiled her mouth. "Who IS that?"

"That's the pinnacle of perverts, Luke, a yellow-haired guy, who lives in this apartment. You are SO unlucky," Chloe giggled. Sapphire just sighed, trying not to start an argument.

"Well, I'm guessing you don't want us to tell Silver," Aiden had one eyebrow up.

"...NO!" Sapphire yelled it out like it should have already been known. She sighed again as they stepped out of the elevator and entered Aiden's apartment room.

 _Knock, knock_

"Come in!"

The door opened and in came Silver. He had a weary expression on his face. The way he entered made the others think that he was tired and exhausted. As Sapphire turned her head to look, she gasped.

"Silver! Where ever WERE you? It's already four!" Sapphire yelled at him angrily. Even if she was mad at him, she hugged him tightly. "Does buying groceries take nearly three hours?!"

"...Yes," Silver lied. "Well, what have you guys been doing since then?"

"Uhh, we were just talking about... life!" Chloe said.

"...sure," Silver responded. He joined the other three in a conversation, each one of them hiding a secret. Even though, they spent the rest of the two hours chatting and playing around.

* * *

"No way, that's so cheap!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Well, one team did it," Sapphire said. "All they did was take the Rainmaker, go to the back of Saltspray Rig, and defend it from there. They always had a score of ninety-nine and since the other team couldn't bring the score down, they won."

The digital clock in the room buzzed seven times.

"So, I guess that's it," Silver said.

"Yup, and don't forget, at midnight, we'll go get some coffee and battle and get experience for the Splatfest," Aiden said.

"What are we gonna do afterwards?" Chloe asked her boyfriend.

"We'll go home at three in the afternoon and sleep until midnight. That's what a lot of people are going to do," Aiden replied with a smile. "So they could see the fireworks at night and start battling in Splatfest."

"Oh, and Callie and Marie will be performing throughout the day," Sapphire said.

"REALLY?!" Chloe got excited. Silver and Sapphire stood up.

"Well, we gotta go now," Silver said. "See ya in a few hours." Silver and Sapphire waved bye and exited their apartment building. The sun was an hour away from setting under the buildings and the horizon.

"So what did you do while I was gone?" Silver questioned her.

"Well, I got there and they greeted me at the front of the building and they took me up to their room. That's it," Sapphire lied. "Well, what about you? You sure do take your time trying to take the best bag of rice." She smirked.

"Nope, I just got into a bit of trouble along the way, but I got out of it," Silver somewhat told the truth, but an unnoticeable blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Sure, you get into a fight and you didn't get any bruises or cuts after going at it for three hours," Sapphire sighed.

"Yeah, you could say that," Silver said. He thought for a moment while they were walking. He looked at Sapphire.

"...Sapphire, come with me," he said, grabbing her hand.

"Wait, where?" Sapphire asked.

"Let's go tour a stage for a while," Silver said.

"So you mean we gotta go back to the plaza?" Sapphire tiredly asked. "Why can't you just go get your bike?"

"Come on, it's not that far," Silver said, "Besides, you can enjoy the walk while we're at it."

"Ugh, fine," Sapphire grunted. "But what are we gonna do there?"

"...you'll find out," Silver said quietly as he and Sapphire changed directions and headed to the plaza.

* * *

As usual, the plaza had a decent amount of people. The lobby was crowded. At least now, at this time, recon was not crowded. There were only a few people per stage. Once Silver and Sapphire got to the recon mode area, Silver selected Saltspray Rig, and the two were teleported to it. When Sapphire arrived with Silver to the spawn of the course, she was confused.

"Why'd you bring me here?" she asked.

"Turn around." It was the only response she got. When she turned around, she gasped. There was the massive, shimmering body of water. In the distance was Inkopolis City on its own island with the low mountain behind it. There were bridges connecting Inkopolis with the other cities across the water. But mostly, the brilliant, glowing sun was setting. It cast a golden glow everywhere. It also reflected on the slightly wavy water, making the mist and the particles of water sparkle.

"..." Sapphire was speechless. She moved forward to sit with Silver on the edge of the platform, their legs dangling from the side.

"...I can't believe I never saw this!" she exclaimed. Silver wrapped his left arm around her and hugged her.

"I know, great, isn't it," Silver's heart started to beat faster.

"...yeah..." Sapphire was mesmerized by the view.

"...So..." Silver started. He couldn't speak for awhile. He brushed back his silver hair nervously.

"...So... I've been thinking about what you said, lately," Silver said.

"...And?" Sapphire slightly tilted her head.

"...You mean a lot to me," Silver finally got comfortable with talking. "You're so cute. Adorable. Sometimes witty."

"Hahaha, yup," Sapphire said, flipping back her light blue hair.

"I-I don't know," Silver stuttered.

"I know what you're gonna say," Sapphire said calmly. She took his hands in hers. "...Do you love me?"

"...Y-yes," Silver finally said.

"Say it," Sapphire spoke.

"...I love you... Sapphire," Silver declared softly. He looked into her eyes. Sapphire seemed to be thinking. A teasing smirk appeared on her face. She let go of his hands and pushed him off the ledge. Silver yelled in shock. He looked up from his fall and didn't see her.

 _...I messed up..._ he thought as he plunged into the painful water.

A few seconds later, he respawned back at the kettle. Surprising him, he felt a hand at his waist and another cupped under his cheek. As he gasped, seeing it was Sapphire, she pressed her lips onto his, tilting her head. Then, Silver felt that strong feeling. That warmth. The feeling he felt with Clarisse. Except this time, it felt relaxing, pleasant, and proper. It was pure.

Finally, Silver gave into it. He put his hands on her waist and accepted the kiss. Her lips were soft and angelic and the moment was peaceful, for there were no one coming in through the spawn. After a while, they broke from the kiss, Sapphire's eyes shining.

"I love you too, Silver," she responded with a smile. She hugged him tightly, their faces clearly blushing, but still golden from the sun that was setting.

* * *

An octoling stood on a sniping post in the middle of Saltspray Rig. She was heavily dressed, especially her headgear, for her tentacles weren't showing. Using her scope, she made sure that the kettles were secure for the execution, for she was put on a mission by her leader to do so. Looking to the the other kettle, she spotted the two inklings, Sapphire and Silver: their romancing, their kiss, and Silver's trip to the water. The octoling giggled at that, but then quickly realized, now was the perfect time to kill them.

Sneaking closer, she uncharged her weapon. As she got closer, she aimed upwards at the pair, strafing to be precise. Then, she realized, the substance was not in effect yet. Quickly canceling her shot, she retreated back to the back of Saltspray Rig. Then, she reminisced about meeting the couple for the first time, hating how they easily took her down while she was guarding the Zapfish. She swore to herself that she would get revenge.

* * *

The new couple were in Silver's apartment, having already eaten dinner. They were sitting in Silver's bed, getting ready to go to sleep.

"Are you sure you won't let me oversleep?" she asked with a warning tone.

"No worries, I'll wake you up in three hours," Silver responded.

"You'd better," she muttered.

"You're really gonna sleep here a lot, aren't you," Silver sighed.

"Yeah, you don't mind, do you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"...Nope," Silver sighed again, though smiling as he laid down and rested his head on the pillow and turned off the light. Sapphire sat still, having not laid down yet. She smirked and pulled out her N-Zap '89.

"I love you, Silver," she said sweetly as she softly kissed him on the cheek. Pointing her gun, she shot him three times where she had kissed him efficiently so that his room wouldn't get inked. All she could hear was Silver yelling at her as his voice diminished to nothing. Sapphire giggled as she tossed her N-Zap '89 on the floor and laid down in Silver's spot, drifting off to sleep.

A few seconds later, an irritated Silver came into his room. He grunted to himself as he saw Sapphire sleeping in his spot. Shrugging, he climbed in beside her and wrapped his arms around her, him also drifting off to sleep.

* * *

It was night, and Clarisse was wandering around the apartment building Silver visited earlier, thinking maybe she could catch him again. But no. She spent since eight-thirty looking around the building. Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her waist. A warm body pressed itself against her back.

"Hey..." she yelped at first, but then she looked up at the person holding her. He had yellow hair and piercing eyes.

"Who are you," Clarisse seemed struck.

"I am Luke," he said softly into her ear. He began to run his hands up and down her waist.

Maybe to Sapphire, this was the most disgusting guy ever, but to Clarisse, she felt that tingling sensation arise.

"I'm Clarisse," she said, looking up to him. Without any question, they kissed passionately, while being inappropriate in front of an open-windowed ground floor apartment room, an inkling staring out in shock.

The two held each other and took a minute to catch their breath. Clarisse flipped her hair back, and the sweat from her face.

"So where are you from?" she took his hand, gesturing for a walk. He took it and went with her.

"Here," he responded. "So what happened today?"

"I met this cute guy earlier, his name is Silver, but he wouldn't want me," she said.

"Really?!" he exclaimed in shock. "Because I met this pretty girl who acted the same way he did, and her name was Sapphire! His friend!" Then, they bumped into another two inklings, stumbling back, Clarisse looked up. There, she and Luke saw a black haired inkling, about the same age as them, and a brown haired inkling, similar ages. Apologizing, they put their hands out, hoping for a handshake apology.

"Sorry about that, I'm Frank," he said arrogantly, slicking back his black tentacle hair.

"And I am Sean," the brown haired guy said.

"Well, we're sorry about that," Frank apologized and walked away with Sean. Luke and Clarisse ignored them, but not before hearing their last bits if conversation.

"So, yeah, my rival, Aiden got together with your ex," Frank said.

"What?! Chloe?!" Sean yelled out, clearly disappointed, but not frustrated. He seemed to be regretful of being rude to her.

"Yeah and I heard that they made friends with the popular Silver and Sapphire!"

Luke and Clarisse stopped in their tracks, not believing their luck.

* * *

"Almost twenty-four hours away, sir," a scientist informed from his computer.

"Good," the leader said. "Get the vat and ready all the forces. This is revenge for what they have done to us and Octavio!" A chorus of 'yeah's' came from behind him. He smiled as he turned to look at all the boy and girl octolings and adults suited up, having all equipment ready. They were all standing a garage, with a kettle at the front leading to the main hub world of Octo Valley.

"One last mission," the leader said, turning to a group of five octolings in formation. "Free Octavio from that pathetic snowglobe, secure the main kettle..."

He paused.

"And to be sure that nothing will ruin our plan, kill Captain Cuttlefish."

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter. School was a bit harsh on me the first few days, but surprisingly, it was absolutely better. By that, I mean in the span of one day. But tomorrow's the last day of the first week for me, and new weapons and Splatfest is held soon!**

 **Also, the new characters, Clarisse and Luke were very hard to write. At least Sapphire got off easy. But anyway, I'm not a perverted teen boy like Luke, or a lustful, sexy girl like Clarisse. For me, those two's personalities were the hardest to write and come up with. Looks like they found Frank and Sean, who is revealed to be Chloe's ex-boyfriend!**

 **Silver and Sapphire. I don't have to say anything about that. :)**

 **But stay tuned for the next chapter, it's getting close to execute the Octarian's leader's plan! Who is he? What does he want? Will he really KILL Captain Cuttlefish? Don't forget to vote if you love, share if you love, and comment, so I can interact with you guys and see your opinions. Come back next chapter, and see you later!**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	6. Chapter 5: A Danger Approaches Part 1

_11:45 P.M._

Silver woke up quietly. Glancing over at his alarm clock, it looked like it was almost time. The moon shone brightly through the window, along with fai nt lights coming from the city. Then, he realized Sapphire was cuddled up next to him, holding his hand in hers, snoring slightly. Silver smiled warmly. He had to get used to having Sapphire over at night. But because of her intimate personality blended with her innocent self, all he hoped for was that she wouldn't do anything overnight that the two would regret.

At least until they were older.

This was exactly why Silver was waiting to date. Now, he realized it was pretty stupid, but it didn't really matter to him now that he was with Sapphire. And yes, he agreed with what she said a few days earlier. Their parents trusted them to do whatever they wanted to do. They trusted their decision.

He slowly got out of bed quietly, making sure that he wouldn't wake up. Instead, she just turned around in her sleep and hugged a pillow next to her. She muttered softly, "...Silver..." thinking she was hugging him. Silver had to hold back some laughter as he walked over to the side of the bed and caressed her head softly. Closing the door behind him, he went into his walk in closet and put some gear on. Gear that had empty abilities. Clothes were absolutely fashionable outside of battle, but inside battle, they could be your greatest advantage.

Looking at his three best weapons for ink spreading, he chose the N-Zap '89, associated with the Sprinkler and the Inkstrike, the ultimate ink spreading combination. Pulling at his collar and tiredly dragging his gun with him, he walked out of his closet to a tired, but irritated Sapphire sitting up on the bed.

"Why didn't you wake me up? Huh?" Sapphire questioned him.

"Um, because... You were still sleeping. I didn't want to wake you up yet," Silver responded. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up to him as he caught her.

"Ugh, I'm tired," Sapphire grunted, leaning on him.

"Come on, we'll get some coffee soon. We can walk there so you can wake up faster," Silver smirked. Sapphire immediately jumped up and started shaking as if she was on a sugar rush.

"Nnoo I'm nooot, I'm awake, seeee?" she said tiredly as she pointed at herself jumping. "Can we take your motorcycle now?"

"Haha, nice try," Silver laughed, getting an angry sigh from Sapphire. "I'll walk with you. If you're still tired, you can lean on my shoulder as we walk there."

"Fine," she said abruptly. "I need to get my stuff from my room, can you take me there?"

"Sure," Silver grinned as he walked her out of his apartment down the hall to hers.

* * *

"W-what the he-"

"...What HAPPENED! Gramps!"

Agents 1 and 2 had just entered the kettle leading to Octo Valley. There they were greeted by a horrible sight. There was Captain Cuttlefish dead and unmoving at the back of his little poorly made and small building. The plushie Zapfish seemed as if they were staring down at his dead corpse. Agents 1 and 2 were scared to death getting an anonymous message slipped under their door to their studio at midnight. They had put on their gear and swiftly went down into the kettle to Octo Valley, realizing that instead of them being scared to death, there was an actual death. Tears began streaming down Marie's eyes.

"No..." Marie's voice drifted away as she stared at the dead body that used to be their grandfather.

"...I-is that BLOOD?" Callie's eyes widened as she knelt down to the dead body.

"Noooo way, no one has bled in ink battles. Only while working and some playful accidents. Otherwise, they would just respawn! ...Right?" Marie looked up at Callie, who shook her head, trying to hide her tears.

"NOOOOOO!" Callie wailed angrily. "This isn't supposed to happen..."

The two sat there crying for a while. Realizing they had nothing else to do, they gave their love to him before burying him in the packed earth. Sniffling, Marie place Captain Cuttlefish's cap on the pile of dirt.

Marie stood up and hugged Callie tightly, crying into her shoulder, as they teleported back to Inkopolis. Because of their distraught state, not one of them had noticed the empty and violently shattered snow globe that once held DJ Octavio.

* * *

"Come on! Let's go!" Sapphire said hyperactively running in front of the group towards the plaza. The moment she took a sip of coffee, she instantly forgot how tired she was.

"Slow down, we're coming," Aiden tried to calm her. Chloe giggled.

"Is this her first coffee?" Chloe asked Silver as the three took a sip out of their coffee cups.

"Apparently, yes," Silver responded. "I guess she likes it...?" he half asked as he watched Sapphire skip towards the plaza like a five-year-old. The other couple laughed.

* * *

 _NOOO! Are you freakin' kidding me!_ a thought raced through the squad's minds. They were all in the B rank range while going up against an all S+ rank. Having just been paired up with the other squad in the room, the decided to give up and do their best.

The sky was dark, for it was past midnight. Lights around Bluefin Depot illuminated any dark areas. A beacon of light, outlining the perimeter of the splat zone lit up the sky. On one kettle was Silver's team. Silver used the Krak-On Splat Roller while Sapphire had the regular Splat Roller. Chloe equipped herself with a Splatterscope while Aiden entered with a regular Jet Squelcher.

All was silent, all was unmoving. One loud shot rang out through the whole stage before all eight left their base heading towards the splat zone. Aiden and Chloe branched off from Silver and Sapphire, going right, away from the zone. Silver decided to put two beacons before going down to the zone, allowing Sapphire to charge in head first. She threw a Suction Bomb to the other side of the cross wall in the middle of the zone while she rolled ink on the ground.

 _Splat_

She was abruptly sniped by a Kelp Splatterscope, who was then sniped by Chloe, standing on the elevated bridge on the other side. Seeing as it was clear, Silver covered the area, taking the zone.

 _Splat_

Chloe was splatted because a Luna Blaster shot her, but Aiden was ready for it, for he put down a Splash Wall and used the range of his weapon to splat the blaster. Over at the zone, Silver waited there, hiding in his ink before a Killer Wail came from far away, of a .52 gal, making him come out of his hiding spot only to be splatted by a Carbon Roller. The zone was now captured by the opposing team.

Most of the round went by with the opposing team's points lowering down, Silver's squad mot able to capture the zone back immediately. Finally, at one point left on the counter, Silver's team had managed to surge in, splat all the other inklings, and take the zone, giving a nasty penalty to the other team.

"Booyah!" Sapphire and Chloe exclaimed to each other behind the center wall, Silver and Aiden waiting near their base ready to attack. Silver had placed his maximum number of beacons hidden near the zone while Aiden was ready to set up a Splash Wall when necessary.

Now, the first of the S+ team had arrived. The Luna Blaster. Only one shot of it partially damaged Silver and Aiden, Silver managing to swim around and splat him with the roller. Though, it left him open for the charger. In a split second, Aiden had managed to set up a Splash Wall, while nodding to Chloe behind the wall. Chloe got the message, and as the charger charged up his shot, she sniped him. All of a sudden, shots of an Inkzooka came from the upper levels where the Carbon Roller was standing. Silver looked at the counter.

 _23 points left._ Silver smirked. "Come on, let's do this!" he exclaimed, charging out to splat the Carbon Roller, before he was splatted by a .52 gal who damaged him beforehand by his Splash Wall. Acting quickly, Chloe backed up and sniped away the wall, the .52 gal double teamed by Sapphire and Aiden. Chloe celebrated to herself, noticing the 5 points left on the counter.

 _Splat_

 _Splat_

A shot from a Luna Blaster and a close fling of a Carbon Roller came out of nowhere, splatting both Aiden and Sapphire.

 _No, come on,_ Chloe resorted to throwing individual Splat Bombs, for her Special wasn't charged yet. Eventually, she was chased around the center wall, throwing Splat Bombs behind her, managing to splat the blaster, but the Carbon was still on her tail. She passed by one of Silver's beacons before she was splatted. The last thing she heard was the sound of the zone turning neutral.

"Ha!" the Carbon Roller user yelled, "Serves you rig-WHAAAAAAT?!" He could not move freely. The round was over. Silver's team's counter was depleted. Coming in for a Super Jump at the end of the round to the beacon next to the opposing roller, Silver was laughing hysterically. The zone was taken right after the counter got to zero. The roller user glared at him as each team was warped back into a virtual room, and then back into the lobby.

In the lobby, Silver was given a kiss on the cheek by Sapphire as they all celebrated.

"Ha, we beat an S team!" Chloe exclaimed.

"I know! We got twenty points for that!" Sapphire added.

"Looks like you guys are a couple now," Aiden said, walking off the teakettle last.

"Yeah!" Sapphire exclaimed in response. "Finally!" Silver chuckled at her response, receiving a smirk from Aiden.

"Let's go change our equipment for Tower Control; I'm ready for some more," Aiden told the others as they went to a gear depository system.

* * *

"You ready for a rematch?" a noticeable voice came from behind the squad. "Because my new team is ready to fight!"

Aiden, already knowing the voice, turned around with a confident smirk. "Yeah, Frank! Your new team is gonna..." Gradually, his confidence diminished as he saw the members of Frank's squad. One by one, the others turned around and gasped. Beside Frank was Chloe's ex-boyfriend, Sean, wearing an inferior glare. The other two were Clarisse, the lust-hungry, sexiest inkling girl out there, even making the other inklings around stare at her, and Luke, the perverted, but attractive teen hanging around Aiden's apartment complex.

"...fail." Aiden quietly finished his sentence.

"Hey, Silver," Clarisse's extremely seductive voice rang through his head. "You should've come with me, Silver. You seemed to enjoy me..." Angrily, Silver clenched his fists and kept his mouth shut. He knew exactly that she meant it sexually, and that it was something Sapphire shouldn't hear. From the corner of his eye, he could see Sapphire glancing at him with a questionable glare.

Beside Clarisse, Silver could see Luke staring Sapphire up and down, and at her chest.

 _Are you ****ing kidding me? Who the **** is this?_ Silver thought to himself, but found it weird that he was cursing. He glared at Sapphire.

"What are you glaring at me for?!" she shouted at him. "You should be glaring at yourself for not telling me about this girl!"

"Well, you didn't tell me you were followed by some pervert!"

"I thought you wouldn't care!" she protested. "That doesn't even count. What about you? That girl just said 'you seemed to enjoy me.' What's she talking about?!"

"Nothing I care about anymore," Silver said straightforwardly.

"Well I do care!" Sapphire yelled. "You need to tell me!"

Silver opened his mouth to yell, but nothing came out. She seemed right. Being followed by a pervert who kept looking at you was less worse than actually falling for someone unknown to you. He decided to shut up.

"Guys, not now, you just got together," Chloe tried to calm Sapphire down.

"Oh, so Chloe is a free, no-charge matchmaking service?" Luke butted in. "Count me in!" he grinned devilishly.

"GUYS, JUST SHUT UP!" Aiden's voice boomed over everyone else's. "Let's just settle this in Turf Wars and see who's best!"

"Oh, so what do we get if we win?" Frank asked. Clarisse and Luke's eyes glinted with lust, darting over to Silver and Sapphire.

"NOOO WAY I'M GONNA 'DO IT' WITH THIS GUY!" Sapphire backed off.

"Sooo, you'd rather 'do it' with Silver," Luke guessed and made a mocking gesture.

Sapphire blushed. "That's not the point!"

"I only need the feeling of triumph over Aiden," Frank said confidently. He turned to Sean. After a few seconds, Sean looked up and sighed contently.

"...And Chloe comes back with me," he stated.

"WHAT?! NO WAY!" Aiden and Chloe yelled at them. Aiden groaned. He wanted to get this meeting over with. In less than five minutes, their conversation had a negative effect of his friends.

"Look, we will deal with you. Look at your rank. All C's? Definitely gonna win," Aiden said, catching the attention of the other three. They just shook their heads. The other squad was just mumbling to each other in excitement. Chloe whispered to Aiden, Silver, and Sapphire.

Aiden nodded back at Chloe and turned to the other four. "Can we do one-on-one battles afterwards if we lose?"

"Just so you could lose again?" Frank chuckled, "Sure." Beside Frank, Sean was the only one not laughing along with the group.

"Deal. Rainmaker, not Turf Wars."

* * *

And so the deal was set, their relationships betted on. All four kept with the same weapons. But Frank's team had a nasty combination. Frank had a .52 gal deco while Sean had a Range Blaster. Clarisse took on the E-liter 3k Scope while Luke had the Gold Dynamo Roller.

All was silent. The only thing that Silver could hear was the blood beating in his ears.

One echoing shot sent the teams racing to the center of Saltspray Rig in pursuit of the Rainmaker. Chloe climbed up the the sniping post while Aiden and Chloe went ahead, Silver placing beacons. As Sapphire and Silver got to the center, they were immediately splatted. The Rainmaker's Shield exploded in Purple and splatted the two. Chloe looked afar, seeing that Frank led the team using Seekers to arrive at the center faster.

Silver quickly thought of a plan as he hid behind the wall, trying to sneak attack the rainmaker, held by Clarisse. Now, the team was surging forward, nearing the corner. Sneaking past, Silver lunged his roller forward, only to be knocked back. Immediately, he saw Sean behind his Splash Wall, ready to splat him.

 _Splat_

 _Splat_

Chloe managed to snipe Sean as he swam past his wall. Getting her special, she threw consecutive Splat Bombs as her Bomb Rush. All three just swam past the bombs, not caring that she was there. Cursing to herself, she tried to snipe again, only that Clarisse turned around and shot the huge tornado of ink towards her.

 _Splat_

Flicks of ink came from the ledge where Silver's spawn was located. There was Silver flinging ink from his roller and Sapphire throwing Suction Bombs from her Splat Roller. Cautiously, Clarisse retreated with the rainmaker. At a safe distance, she charged it up and splatted only Sapphire, for Silver was quick enough to get to cover. The tornado of ink left a trail up the wall that granted access to their base. Swimming up first, Sean set out a Splash Wall and was covered by Luke's Inkstrike. This forced Silver to retreat from splatting Sean. With his Splash Wall, Sean splatted Silver's teammates that left the protected kettle. Frank and Clarisse were making a path to the Rainmaker pedestal, snipes of ink coming from Chloe, who was locked in at her spawn point. She managed to snipe Frank, but not Clarisse, the Rainmaker holder.

 _Ding_

Immediately, Silver activated his Kraken, racing towards Clarisse whose swimming speed was still slow because of the weight of the Rainmaker. Both swam up the pedestal, Clarisse ahead of him a tiny bit. Sapphire was tailing Clarisse from behind, trying to catch up and splat her with the Splat Roller.

 _Whoosh_

The sound of the other team winning, capping the pedestal with the Rainmaker, spread throughout the whole stage. Right next to Clarisse was Silver, still a Kraken, its grumpy eyes more irritated as ever. She grinned and looked down at Silver before all eight of them were teleported back into the virtual room.

* * *

"We agreed on a deal," Frank insisted. "We deserve it."

"Fine," Silver huffed along with Aiden. Aiden only smirked unnoticeably as Chloe shuffled over to Sean, who was still silent. Clarisse and Luke went over to Silver and Sapphire. They nodded to each other as Clarisse and Luke separated them, being pervy and sexy as they usually are.

"What about our one-on-one battles?" Aiden asked out of nowhere.

"What one-on-one battle? You can't just add on now!" Clarisse debated. Sean sighed heavily.

"You guys weren't paying attention. He mentioned it before the battle, but you all had to be overconfident in saying yes to actually hear what he said," Sean explained.

"No one cares about what he said. We'll just get what we want!" Frank argued. Looks of agreement came from Clarisse and Luke.

"We'll still beat them. We promised this, so let's win it," Sean said, thinking that to win Chloe back, he would have to be polite and realistic.

"Whatever, but not now," Luke said, "and none of us have to be there. It's just one-on-one's."

"You promise that you WILL accept our duels whenever we ask, correct?" Silver questioned them.

Frank's squad nodded hastily. Luke split off with Frank to take care of things while Chloe was taken away by Sean and Clarisse tagged along with Silver and the trio.

Silver and the group decided to go home after the whole ordeal with Frank and his friends was over. The rest of the way, Clarisse was being to clingy to Silver while an irritated and angry Sapphire trudged home along with Aiden. Eventually, Aiden decided to split away, looking for Frank to win his duel.

"...Silver..." Clarisse whispered softly into his ear. "...Are you tired?"

"Sure," he answered blankly. Sapphire stared at the pair in front of her, her arms crossed.

"Well, you won't feel it anymore... after we finish..." she said mysteriously.

Mysteriously? The mystery wasn't that shrouded.

* * *

Sapphire flipped through the channels on TV. The shade of the buildings cast the dim light of the noon sun in the room. Then, there was a news update. The well-known tune of Inkopolis News Time sounded, and now, the sisters were live.

"Hey," Marie said, trying to be uplifting.

"The courses are the mall, the warehouse thing, and then the flounder and the triggerfish," Marie scanned her paper as she mumbled. Sapphire raised an eyebrow.

"Stay fresh," they stated. The screen went blank.

"Come on, Marie, we gotta inves-" Then the screen switched to a fresh headgear commercial. Now, Sapphire seemed suspicious. The sisters were not spirited, and were in a rush.

Behind the wall, she heard the shower shut off. Clarisse had finished using it and probably is heading to Silver's bedroom. Sapphire silently cursed in her head.

In Silver's bedroom, Silver laid down, facing the ceiling. He broke a sweat on his forehead as he thought about Clarisse and what they were about to do. He didn't even know the girl, and now, she invited herself into his bedroom. Then, slowly, the bathroom door opened, and there was Clarisse wearing her absolutely tight, black undershirt and shorts that perfectly underlined her chest and her legs. Silver groaned.

"Hey, Silvy," her smooth voice that once plagued his mind returned for another round. Silver stayed silent.

"Oh come on, you're gonna love it," she said as she crawled into his bed and on top of him. She flipped her purple hair before looking down at Silver.

"Do you like this...?" she questioned him.

"No," Silver remained calm and kept his steadfast voice.

Behind the door, Sapphire could hear him. His resistance. She kept her ear through the door.

"I don't care! We are going to whether or not you love me or not!" Clarisse yelled at Silver, grabbing his shirt. Silver shoved her off onto the floor.

"Get off me. You probably don't love me either. You're just in it to have it," Silver said sternly as he sat up.

"I do love you, Silver," she shot back.

"NO YOU DON'T! All you want is the experience of me! You just want me so much, huh?" Silver stood up and glared at her on the floor.

 _That's why I love you Silver. You always come through at the right times._ Sapphire thought as she barged in through the door.

"I challenge you to a charger duel!" Sapphire declared.

"Oh yeah?" Clarisse asked as she stood up and gained her composure. "You ruined the moment! I'm gonna splat you so hard, so I can get rid of you!" Silver turned to Sapphire and shot her a warning glance. He seemed unsure of this.

"Silver, trust me. You love me, right?" she asked him. "The one who you truly love will win."

* * *

On both ends of Moray Towers was Sapphire, and the other end Clarisse, both holding E-Liter 3K Scopes.

 _Boom_

Both inklings began their way, jumping off each building, throwing Burst Bombs at the floor. Charging up, they began to aim across the center. The shot of Clarisse's sniper echoed out as she aimed off, splatting beside Sapphire.

 _Splat_

Sapphire took the advantage and splatted her. Then, she crossed the center and went up into her territory. When Clarisse returned back to the sniping area, she was then bombarded by Burst Bombs and got splatted.

Clarisse took her time getting down the next time. She decided to cover up territory to charge up her Echolocator. Activating, it, she spotted Sapphire hiding in the ink behind a barrier. From another elevated spot, Clarisse charged, aimed, and splatted Sapphire. From then, she returned to her sniping spot.

Deciding to bombard Clarisse with more Burst Bombs, she attempted to fall down to the middle. Midair, she got splatted by the precise aiming of Clarisse and because she was rushing.

One shot of ink passed Sapphire on her way down. Quickly charging up her sniper, she aimed and tried to splat Clarisse. Clarisse quickly swam backwards a tiny bit. Thirty seconds remained. Clarisse clenched her teeth and Sapphire tightened her grip on her weapon as they struggled to get more splats before the timer ran out. Strafing back and forth behind the wall, each inkling kept firing shots. Through her scope, Sapphire kept a look out. Appearing in the center of the scope was Clarisse and her line of sight, ready to fire.

 _Splat_

Both inklings groaned as their souls floated into the sky back to spawn. They had splatted each other at the same time.

Fifteen second remained when both inklings returned to the sniping area. Every jump and strafe was crucial to their win. Sapphire jumped over Clarisse's shot while she strafed beside Sapphire's shot.

3...2...1...

 _Splat_

Sapphire stood there, her hands on her hips, a confident smirk on her face as Clarisse's squid soul rose up in the air.

* * *

Silver stood in the lobby, leaning on the wall, his eyes down on his phone checking how Aiden and Chloe were doing. After a while of texting, Silver put his phone away and shoved his hands in his pockets. While waiting, he received many greetings and compliments from the other inklings who passed him. Then, on one of the private room kettles, Sapphire and Clarisse came out. Clarisse had a defeated look on her face, while Sapphire looked the opposite. Like a "that's what you get" expression.

"Should I even ask?" Silver stood and walked over to them.

"No, you shouldn't," Sapphire responded. "You're smart enough." They turned to Clarisse. She stared at both of them and sighed heavily.

"I hate you," she said bluntly, turning around and leaving. Silver put his hand on her shoulder.

"...Clarisse, we could be friends," Silver said. "We can just forget whatever happened and have a mutual friendship."

"NO!" she shoved his hand away. "I deserve more! You can't just leave it at that! I hate you! I don't want to see you again!" She stormed away out of the lobby.

Silver stared out into the distance where she left. Sapphire took his hand in hers and looked up at him. All Silver did was wrap his arms around Sapphire in a hug.

"We could've been friends," he said after he broke away from the hug.

"Silver, it's all over now," Sapphire said in a hush. "It's her problem. She didn't want to be friends and call a truce."

The pair stood there staring out into space. It would have definitely made the relationship better between Silver and Sapphire and Clarisse. Being friends was the key to success, leading to less hatred, but unfortunately, Clarisse could not release her grudge. Silver turned to Sapphire.

"I am ready to duel with Luke."

She smiled. Silver was up for anything. He was willing to stand up for her and keep their relationship stable. This was why she like him throughout school. Years ago, he had the same attitude of determination and independence, along with his caring personality. How he cared for her and still did stuff on his own. Sapphire saw that little squid in this inkling, and she was grateful for him in her life.

* * *

"Frank! I am ready to battle!" Aiden declared, walking into Ammo Knights.

"So what makes you think that I can be beaten again?" he questioned, turning from inspecting a weapon on the shelf.

"I don't know, I don't care," Aiden responded. "I just rely on myself."

"Well, you're gonna have to rely not just on yourself, but on others, because we're gonna battle on random teams!" Frank stated.

"But it's not a one-on-one!"

"Just think of it as a one-on-one. Two captains battling for turf, sending out their troops. It'll be our rendition of a one-on-one," Frank responded.

"Fine, but I'm not gonna let myself lose!" Aiden declared, clenching his fists.

"We'll see, Aiden," Frank said, following him to the lobby. "We'll see."

* * *

"Did you find anything?" Callie asked Marie.

"Nope, not a clue," Marie answered as she finished searching the captain's shed.

"Wait, is that glass?" Callie began to look beside the shed.

"Callie, the snow globe is broken," Marie said disappointedly. "UGHHH! HOW COME WE DIDN'T SEE THIS EARLIER?"

"Marie, calm down," Callie said in a hush. "Just keep a weapon ready if something bad happens. We'll be up in our office, right? We have a great view of the kettle to Octo Valley and stop anyone coming in." Marie nodded slowly.

"Come on let's go," Callie said, trying to brighten up the mood. "Don't let this affect you. It's almost Splatfest. And you are the most bright, funny, sarcastic person I've ever seen, and I'm grateful to have you as a sister. We can get past this, okay?"

Marie nodded again, a small smile on her face. The sisters descended into the kettle back to Inkopolis. All was silent, no moving things were in the area, Then a girl octoling stepped out from behind trees.

"Sir, it's all clear. The Squid Sisters are gone," the octoling spoke into her headgear. "I killed them as well," she lied.

"Good. Less then twelve hours until Splatfest, the time of release. Notify a commander to retrieve every octoling and Octarian in the residential areas in the valley to fight in our army," the voice from her headset instructed. The octoling's heart dropped.

 _Every single Octarian?_

"Yes, sir," she mumbled and shut her communication off. She shook her head and buried them in her hands.

Ever since she got recruited, she's been forced to do things she didn't like. She didn't like the idea of attacking the inklings. Also, the idea of forcing all the Octarians to fight. She just couldn't handle it. Quickly, she notified a commander of the mission and slammed her headset into the ground, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

 **Guys, I'm back! I'm sorry it took a long time, but this part is now completed. Chapter 6 is next on my list to write, which is the time of Friday all the way until midnight, Splatfest on Saturday.**

 **Sooooorry for the almost sex scene. It was part of Clarisse's character, and I'm not really that much comfortable writing something like that and posting it. (Which is saying something, because I'm only twelve.(when I wrote this on Wattpad) I'm thirteen now. Happy birthday yay.) Silver and Sapphire will always come through.**

 **New character is introduced. She is an octoling. I don't really know what to name her. She hates the Octolings that forced her to fight.**

 **Today was my birthday (I turned thirteen) and this morning, I felt like playing Splatoon all day, but then some people came over so I remembered to finish this part. I wanted to finish this before the next week, so I spent most of the day writing, while my friends played Smash Bros. I'm so glad this is finished, and I'm not sick anymore.**

 **So that's it for now. Happy birthday me, and some other writers** **. Don't forget to vote if you love, share if you love, and comment, so I can interact with you guys and see your opinions. See you guys, next chapter!**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	7. Chapter 6: A Danger Approaches Part 2

Aiden was wearing a jubilant smile on his face. As he stood frozen with his randomized team, the match over. His team was in Frank's base, having all of the turf in the stage. Now, they were spawn camping them. Miraculously, he ended up with three people who were once associated with Frank. Two young inklings, a boy and a girl, and Hank.

"No way in Octo Valley," Frank sighed, clearly frustrated as the other inklings who battled with him backed off.

"Ha, the meanie got beat," the younger girl inkling exclaimed, mockingly pointing at Frank.

"That's what you get for ditching me, Frank!" Hank yelled at him. "I've gotten better and more experienced than I used to be."

"Looks like you lost," Aiden smirked.

"Well it's not fair that you got paired up with them!" Frank complained.

"Well it's not fair that you got paired up with random people!" Aiden mocked him.

"Well it's not fair that you SHUT UP!" Frank yelled in frustration as he stormed away. His teammates shrugged their shoulders and dismissed themselves.

Aiden shook hands with the other three. "I hope to see you all again someday."

"Likewise," Hank nodded. He proved to be a better person when not associated with Frank.

"Thank you, mister!" the inkling boy shook his hand and went off with the other girl back to another kettle.

Aiden sighed. He was all alone now. Grinning to himself, he thought how lucky he had been to have such a relatable team, and a strong one at that. Exiting the tower, he looked at his phone. It was almost three. At four, the group had planned to sleep until Splatfest. Just then, the trucks for the Splatfest decorations arrived in the plaza, catching the interest of most inklings. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sean's brown hair and Chloe's bright pink hair. As he turned around more, they seemed to be deep in conversation. He listened to them under a tree.

"You really are smart, Sean," Chloe's voice said.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about the way I treated you when we were dating," Sean's voice sounded strong. "I realized how wrong it was."

"But you can't date me, I'm dating Aiden," Chloe said questionably.

"You are right about that," Sean said, "but if I could go back and change everything I did to mess up, I would take the chance." Aiden raised an eyebrow. He was surprised at this.

"Then why did you join up with all the others?"

Sean was silent for a while. "Frank said he knew Aiden and a girl name Chloe, so from then we befriended, and then there were these other two who knew Silver and Sapphire. You already know how popular those two are and how word spreads about where and who they hang out with."

"You shouldn't join with those other three. All I see in them are your past self," Chloe said.

"...Maybe I still will, just because it's a matchup," Sean stated.

"...What do you mean?" Chloe questioned.

"Y'know, like Aiden and Frank, you and me, Silver and Clarisse, and Sapphire and Luke..."

"Oh, right... ...Hey, Aiden!" Chloe spotted Aiden from under the tree.

Sean grew silent. "...How long were you there?" Chloe questioned.

Aiden walked out from under the tree. "About a minute."

"...Sorry, Sean, I gotta go," Chloe said disappointedly.

"No, I want to hear more on this conversation," Aiden interrupted with a smile. "Sean seems so different now."

"He really changed, Aiden," Chloe said encouragingly. "And by the way, did you duel Frank?"

"Yup, I did," Aiden smirked. "You would never believe what teammates I got."

"With how you said it, I think I might already have an idea of who they might be," Chloe said, turning to Sean. "I guess that leaves you and me to duel, Sean."

"Oh, okay..." he said quietly, his voice diminishing.

Chloe and Aiden noticed this. "What's wrong, Sean?"

"...It's just that I'm talking to my ex when her boyfriend is right here," Sean spoke out, scratching his shoulders.

"I promise I won't make it awkward for all of us," Aiden gave a warm smile. "And even though it seems that you've changed, who said it's wrong for you to do that?"

"...Society."

The trio shared a hearty laughter. After the laughing died down, Aiden stuck out his hand towards Sean. Chloe was in between them, looking to see what Sean would do. Without hesitation, Sean took Aiden's hand in his and shook it firmly. Chloe cheered silently.

"Ha, I never thought I would be doing this," Sean murmured.

"Come on, let's talk while we go to the lobby to battle," Aiden said warmly as he started off towards the lobby, Chloe and Sean following him. He already knew that he had nothing to be afraid of, even Chloe said it herself to Sean. That she would still be dating Aiden. Aiden smiled at that. At how he and his girlfriend could make things less tense and point towards positivity.

* * *

"Just once?" begged Luke, not caring that Sapphire's boyfriend was standing right beside her. "Pleeaase?" he begged again, eyeing her up and down.

"Oh, suuuurrre," Sapphire said, turning and giving Silver the "I got this" face. Silver backed off onto the sidewalk, closer to the apartments.

"Oh yeah..." Sapphire murmured, slipping off the jacket she had on to reveal her tight black undershirt, an undershirt that nearly everyone had to use under their gear. "Do you like it?" she said, sexily, though trying to feel around for her N-Zap '89 in her jacket pocket.

"Yeeeaaahhh..." Luke moaned. Silver shook his head and sighed.

 _Splat_

Sapphire had both her hands on her orange weapon, aimed towards where Luke once stood, a smirk curved on her lips. Picking up her jacket, she motioned to Silver.

"Come on! Before he respawns in the apartment and comes back!" Sapphire called him over. Again, Silver shook his head and chuckled at his girlfriend's antics. After they ran a distance away from the area, they slowed their pace, deciding to go back to the plaza. They assumed that Aiden and Chloe were there. Silver wrapped his arm around Sapphire and pulled her closer as they walked, her jacket slung over Silver's opposite shoulder. During the walk back, Silver couldn't help but glance down at Sapphire's shirt.

"That undershirt really does look good on you," Silver said, turning to Sapphire.

"Aww, thanks!" she responded cheerfully. Silver raised an eyebrow.

"You're not offended that I said that?" Silver questioned.

"Nope, you're not Luke," she said. "But you're still a perv."

"What?!" Silver was surprised at what she called him.

"But you're my perv. You are mine," she looked straight at him and giggled and leaned against his shoulder.

"...Okay...?" Silver said, not really knowing what to say afterwards.

 _Beep beep_

Sapphire slipped her phone out of her pocket and read her notifications.

"Silver, look!" she said, showing him her phone. "They want us to meet at a cafe near the plaza; they finished their duels."

"Okay," Silver said quietly, still a little bit speechless.

"Why are you quiet, Silver," she asked him, taking her jacket off of his shoulders and slipping it over her undershirt.

"I-I don't know," Silver stuttered.

"Is it my shirt?" Sapphire questioned, a smile creeping on her face.

"No." She stayed silent, waiting for the correct response. "Yes," Silver changed his answered. Sapphire grinned. "It's just that you're so open to me about your body and your mind..." And from then, the conversation continued as the couple walked to Inkopolis Plaza.

* * *

As the pair walked into the cafe, they could easily spot Chloe waving frantically for them to come over to their table. Surprisingly to them, Chloe was sitting beside Aiden AND Sean.

"...What's he doing here?" Silver questioned Aiden.

"Just sit down, and we can talk about it as we get some coffee," Aiden calmly responded.

As the pair sat down, the group quickly discussed what they wanted to order. When they were finished, Chloe offered to order it for them.

"Aiden, I already know the story," she explained. "And you're better at explaining than I am." She slipped out of her chair, heading towards the counter to order.

Sapphire spoke up. "So what happened?"

"So, this is Chloe's ex-boyfriend, Sean," Aiden started, motioning to Sean. "Basically, he was mean to her when they were dating, but he really changed significantly. He even let her win their duel."

"Really?" Sapphire turned to look at Sean.

"I used an Inkbrush, and I felt bad that I had an advantage over a slow sniper," he said.

"...If you have that mindset, then why are you with the other three?" Silver questioned him.

"...It's just that the other three associated themselves with you, Sapphire, and Aiden, so I decided to tag along since it would make it complete," he said to Silver. "Ever since Chloe left me, I felt broken. I felt really, really sorry that I treated her like that, and I realized it was me who caused it all."

Chloe came back with a tray of five cups of juice and chips, after all, it was almost time to sleep until Splatfest. She smiled warmly at Aiden and Sean, for she was happy Sean had changed. She set the tray in the middle of the table, taking her seat next to Aiden.

Sean continued. "Their battling style was legendary, but their ideals, the way that they put things into their perspective, were the worst," he explained. Silver and Sapphire nodded as some of them took their drinks and ate chips. Then, the Inkopolis News Time theme sounded, and the TV inside the cafe changed to a different scene.

Contrasting the cheerful and upbeat tune were Callie and Marie's attitude on screen.

"This period's stages are the bridge, the warehouse, the mall, and the underpass," Marie mumbled, looking worn out and tired on screen.

"Staaaay fressshh..." they signed out tiredly. After that, the TV turned back to the regular Inkopolis news. Most of the people around in the cafe grew either worried or confused, for it was very unusual for the Squid Sisters to appear like this.

"...They were like that earlier," Sapphire said. "We should see if they're okay."

"I bet they're fine," Sean responded. "They just need to rest before Splatfest."

"Speaking of resting, we were planning to sleep now before Splatfest, because we didn't sleep last night," Aiden explained, standing up from his chair. Sean nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I understand."

"We'll see you around during Splatfest, right?" Chloe asked Sean.

"Of course!" he responded. "The Splatfest is for everyone!"

"Okay, see you later!" Chloe got up, following Sapphire, Aiden, and Silver out of the cafe.

"Best wishes!" he saluted nicely, left alone in the cafe. He slicked his brown hair back as he randomly took out his phone.

* * *

It was almost four, and Silver, Sapphire, Aiden, and Chloe were standing at a walkway intersection. They have been chatting since they departed from the plaza.

"So our team pulls through at the end, winning every duel, an extra thanks to Sean," Aiden said to the others. Chloe smiled at how Aiden did not disrespect Sean, even though he was her ex-boyfriend. Silver and Sapphire smiled.

"So what Splatfest team are you guys on?" Sapphire asked the others as they stopped at the intersection where they had to split ways.

"I'm Team Art!" Chloe said. "When I was younger, I used to squid around on a big piece of paper and make pink drawings with my ink," she explained. Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I know it was my body ink and not ink from a tank! Geez," she sighed. Aiden chuckled.

"Well, Chloe, I'm Team Art, too," Silver spoke up.

"Really, you draw?" she responded with a question.

"No, I don't draw. I like listening to music and playing music intruments. The tenor saxophone, the clarinet, and the piano were pretty cool to play," Silver explained. **A/N: What a coincidence. I play the same instruments as he does. Does Silver = AuraMasterADV13?**

 **The real question is: Am I a kid or a squid?**

 **I'll stop... Sorry...**

"Art isn't just about drawing. I believe it includes language arts, the art of literature and writing, and the art of music," he continued.

"Hold up, since when do you play music instruments?" Sapphire interrupted.

"Since I was waiting for you to turn into a human at fourteen," he replied.

"Oh..." Sapphire muttered. "But anyways, I'm team Science. I'm always fascinated about things work."

"Oh, cool. I'm with you," Aiden said. Silver looked around and realized it was time to split up.

"So, I guess, I look forward for tonight, our first Splatfest," said Silver, taking Sapphire's hand and crossing the street.

"See you later!" Sapphire said, waving at the other couple, who waved back while going their separate way.

* * *

It was four, the afternoon light streaming in through the windows, making the room lighted up decently. The door opened as Silver and Sapphire came in. Both were wearing their black undershirt and their shorts, having returned from Sapphire's apartment room to drop off stuff. Silver jumped into his bed while Sapphire went into the bathroom, to search for any leftover supplies that Clarisse left. Immediately spotting Clarisse's empty, cheap shampoo bottle, she snagged it out of the shower, marching into Silver's bedroom.

"This doesn't deserve to be in your trash can," she said tossing it out of the window.

Down below the apartment builings were Luke and Clarisse walking and chatting.

"They don't deserve to be together. They should go fu- OWWWW!" Her tiny, cheap, empty shampoo bottle dropped from the air. She picked it up and looked above, seeing Sapphire dying of laughter.

"F*** you!" she said enraged, throwing her bottle into a window on the ground floor of the building, shattering it.

"Hey! What's the big idea? Frickin' teenagers, COME HERE!" said a deeper voice. Out of the shattered window came an adult who held his Rapid Blaster.

"Oh shoot, RUN CLARISSE!" Luke called back to Clarisse, already a few blocks ahead of her. Quickly, she ran through the streets, trying to escape each blast of the adult's blaster.

"Ha, I heard everything! That's was funny!" Silver said from the bed, giggling.

"That's what she gets," Sapphire said, shutting the window, shutting the blinds to make the room darker, and plopping into bed next to Silver.

"Promise you'll wake me up?" she looked at him.

"Okay," he responded.

Silver had his arm wrapped around her waist, hugging her close to him. Turning to him, Sapphire gave Silver a soft kiss on his lips. She smiled afterward, as a way of saying goodnight, snuggling into his chest. Silver blushed and smiled too, falling asleep along with Sapphire.

* * *

"Eight hours until Splatfest," the leader said. "Send some of the unexperienced ones to the plaza to spill the clear substance on the ground. Have them disguised as inklings."

"Yes, sir," an admin said, leaving the group.

"Give the most experienced ones the real, ancient weapons, and have them settle at the entrance of the valley and at the back near the base," the leader instructed.

"Got it," another admin said and left.

"What about us, sir?" one asked out.

"...I am general of this army and this plan. You'd better trust in me as your leader," he said intimidatingly.

"..." the worker shut up.

"We will all stay here, weapons ready just in case something happens while the Octarian army surges through Inkopolis and the cities around it," the general explained. His headset ringed.

"Sir, we are sending undercovers out to Inkopolis to release the substance," the static voice of an admin cam through.

"Good," the general said as he turned off the headset. "Now, we can just wait for the plan to unfold. I will activate the release of the army at 12:05 A.M., after the first battles of Splatfest, and for now, I only need a scientist, and two highest ranking admins." At that, most of the Octarians at the table left, leaving three.

"General," a voice came out. The leader turned to the voice. "It is because of you that this had any chance of a remix happening." Out of the darkness, came an Octoling in human form. His eyes were purple with a twinkle of cleaner green. His gold headgear was minimized to a simpler, but silver one. On his slightly colored arms were neon green highlights glowing from inside his body. Clipped at his belt were Captain Cuttlefish's Bamboozler 14 MK 1 and a Custom Dual Squelcher. He looked less ugly in his human form.

It was DJ Octavio.

* * *

"Sapphire, wake up," Silver said, standing over her sleeping body, sprawled over the bed.

"Kiss me, Silver..." she murmured, her eyes still closed. Shrugging, Silver leaned in and pressed his lips onto Sapphire's and started kissing her. Her eyes then fluttered open.

"AHH! ...Oh, so it wasn't a dream," she smiled dreamily at Silver. "That was nice..."

He only smiled. "Come on, it's 11:20."

"Okay, Silver," she said, getting up and out of bed.

The two went into the bathroom, Silver taking a quick shower while Sapphire brushed her teeth and vice versa. When Sapphire got out of the shower, she wrapped the towel above her chest and stood next to Silver, looking into the mirror.

"You're only like two inches taller than me," Sapphire observed, standing on her toes to be taller than him.

"That's good, so I don't have to bow my head when I kiss you," he replied smartly.

"What's wrong with that?! Are you saying I should be shorter?!" She whipped the towel off of her torso, forgetting she had no clothes on.

"...S-Sapphire?!" he yelled out in surprise, his cheeks burning. Stretching her towel back, she whipped it on Silver's back three times.

"OWW! STOP IT!" Silver yelled, trying to block the towel with his arm. Sapphire circled around to behind Silver, wrapping her towel around his head to cover his eyes. Silver blushed even more when he felt her skin touch his.

"I like being tall. I gives me at least SOME superiority over you," she whispered in his ear. "And don't take the towel off until I'm done changing." Quietly, she exited the bathroom to find the change of clothes she brought into Silver's room that she would use when she woke up.

 _Rrrrrrriiing_

Silver exited the bathroom too, stumbling over things, trying to get to his phone through hearing. Sapphire spotted him while she was still changing.

"Hey! I'm still-"

"I'm not peeking, okay?" he interrupted her as he tripped over the corner of his bed to get to his phone.

"Hello?" he said, answering the call.

"Agent 3? Hi! We just called to say to have a lookout for anything suspicious," a familiar voice said through the phone. Silver looked at the caller ID.

Callie Cuttlefish.

"What? You'll be on the lookout while you'll be singing and dancing in the plaza?" Silver asked them back. "You're not even using the walkie-talkie, Agent 1."

"I didn't know what side was up or down, so I switched to a cellphone," Callie said.

Silver chuckled. "So are you and Marie okay?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it, have Agent 4-I mean Sapphire listen in, okay?" Callie said.

"What's up?" Sapphire joined Silver, whipping off the towel around his head. She was fully changed, but he still wasn't. He still had to out a shirt on and replace the towel wrapped around his waist with his shorts. But he still listened.

One explanation later, Sapphire and Silver's mouths were wide open.

"Callie... I'm really sorry that you lost your grandfather," Silver said sorry for what happened.

"I'm really sad, but this is important. Just watch out for anything around the pothole to Octo Valley before you go into the lobby," Callie explained.

"Okay, we can do that," Sapphire said. "See ya at the plaza."

"Bye!" They both hung up.

Sapphire started to follow Silver. "Can we take your bike?"

"Yes, we can." he said, closing the closet door behind him. Immediately, he heard Sapphire cheer loudly.

* * *

"Sir, the octolings have managed to get into squads in the Squid's Splatfest," the admin said through the leader's headgear.

"Great, that will make the spreading of the substance easier," he replied.

"The substance affects, but doesn't hurt the target, general. Those octolings will be completely vulnerable," the admin informed.

"Well that's why I said weak, not experienced. They're just there to put the substance in effect," the leader responded irritably.

"..." the admin shut himself up.

"Thirty more minutes, general," DJ Octavio informed. The leader grinned.

"The best thing about it is that Silver and Sapphire, the two who imprisoned you, are not on complete patrol, for they are also competing in Splatfest," the leader smirked and chuckled to himself.

* * *

"So that's it?" Aiden said while he kept glancing at the pothole. Many inklings were filing into the lobby while Sapphire, Aiden, Chloe, and Silver were standing outside until the very last minute.

"Yep, and if anything goes wrong, you guys can help us," Silver said, leaning against his bike, parked beside Ammo Knights.

"We will," Chloe said determinedly. Glancing up on top of the trucks, Sapphire and Silver saw Callie and Marie nod at them and salute to them. In return the saluted back and turned to their friends.

"Let's go." The group of friends walked into the lobby, not realizing the clear, practically invisible substance that they tracked in their shoes.

* * *

 _11:59 P.M._

Twenty more seconds until Splatfest. The group was in the same virtual room, though Aiden and Sapphire were on Team Science while Silver and Chloe were on team Art. For some reason, there were heavily dressed inklings holding a weirdly shaped Tentatek Splattershot among the different rooms, but no one cares, because Splatfest was there for everyone, no matter how different they were.

"Ten," Frank, Clarisse, and Luke said, still wondering where Sean was.

"Nine," Sean said, in his own room with random players.

"Eight," Hank counted, luckily in the same room as Sean.

"Seven," Callie and Marie whispered to themselves, their excitement building for Splatfest.

"Six," said many other random adult inklings who looked forward to any broadcasted highlights of Splatfest and all the inklings who participated in it.

"Five," Aiden stated.

"Four," Chloe said nervously.

"Three," Sapphire said determinedly.

"Two," Silver counted down.

"One," DJ Octavio murmured.

"Zero. Let Splatfest begin, as well as our plan to destroy the Squids," the Octarian general/leader declared as he readied the army to charge into Inkopolis after the five minute interval while all of the participating and highly doomed inklings were whisked away into battle.

* * *

 **Ha I finished it before the next week started. Currently, it is Sunday night, 11:34 P.M. When I get to school tomorrow, I'll just give the excuse that I write for a living. The next chapter is Splatfest, Art vs. Science. (this was written a few months ago. Sowwy for the confusion.)**

 **Who will win?**

 **Actually, the question is, "Will they come out unscathed?"**

 **You all should fear the wrath of the Octarians, for it is coming next chapter. This is not Splatfest.**

 **Everything will change...**

 **Aww, Silver and Sapphire so cute. I ship them to the equator. A very** _ **hot**_ **situation.**

 **I don't even know what I'm saying. I've gotten crazy off of writing this book. But anyway, you loyal followers of the master of aura will have have to wait longer than a week, because** **I guess the exciting next chapter is a good reason to keep reading and following this story.**

 **And as always: Comment so I can see you guys' opinions. Vote if you love and share if you love, because I can read your aura. Your aura is saying that you love it. Come on guys, you love it. You guys love it. I love it. Silver and Sapphire love it.**

 **I'M SORRY, I SOMETIMES GET A LITTLE CRAZY WHEN I'M TIRED.**

 **Anyway, thanks for the support, and I hope to see all of you awesome people in about two weeks for the next chapter. Bye guys! :)**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	8. Chapter 7: Splatfest

All of the inklings of Inkopolis were whisked away into the many battlefields. This Splatfest, all of the battlefield were available to use, instead of just three. In Silver's case, he and his friends were sent to Kelp Dome, the sky above it dark, decorated with fireworks. The colors for this Splatfest were silver for Team Art and light blue for Team Science in commemoration of Silver and Sapphire's heroic actions for Inkopolis. Even though the colors were silver and light blue, all of the inklings could use any color. Brown, black, and many others.

Appearing at one end of Kelp Dome were Silver, Chloe, a random inkling, and a heavily dressed inkling. On the other side was Sapphire, Aiden, another random inkling, and another heavily dressed inkling. The two heavily dressed inklings had oddly-shaped Octoshot Replicas. But the other inklings didn't worry about them that much. It was Splatfest, and everyone was welcome to join.

...Right?

 _...3_

 _...2_

 _...1_

 _Boom!_

"It has started," the leader said to himself in his office back in Octo Valley. DJ Octavio sat beside him in another chair. Right below the pothole connecting Inkopolis and Octo Valley were lines of troops and fighters of the Octarian Army.

The sudden noise that started every battle sent every inkling in the Splatfest surging forwards, quickly covering ink with their weapons. At least one of those heavily-dressed inklings were in every room, their weapon shooting out nothing. But if someone could see closely, their weapon was shooting out a clear, liquidy substance, scattering over the spawn point kettle and friendly-firing their teammates. The substance didn't hurt when it was shot at someone, but its effect would be disastrous. Most of these heavily-dressed inklings, secretly teenage octolings, shed a tear from their eye. They were all forced to do something they wished not to. The many ink battles that the Squids had looked fun to them, unlike the military operation that they were forced to do.

Silver and Sapphire lead their team in strong, quickly getting to the center in their own colored ink. Meeting at the middle, all eight, and all of the inklings battling, began to lock on and start shooting. Silver popped out from behind the center wall in front of Sapphire, scaring her.

"Gotcha!" he whispered to himself with a smirk as he held his Aerospray in front of Sapphire and pulled the trigger.

"AHHHH! Silver, STOP!" the scream Sapphire made _sounded_ like she got splatted.

But she wasn't splatted yet.

"Geez, how many Defense Ups do you ha-" Silver dropped dead silent, releasing his Aerospray on the ground. He could feel his heartbeat pounding against his chest. In front of him was Sapphire, a shocked and hurt expression on her face. Bruises were all over her body, her clothes already ripped. The bruises were exactly where Silver shot her. But she didn't resurrect back to spawn. She was injured.

"...SAPPHIRE!" he yelled, dropping to his knees next to her trembling body on the inked floor. This was happening live, everywhere. In every stage, in every room, an inkling got hurt by ink. A regretful octoling watched from a corner.

* * *

"This is what they truly deserve," the leader mumbled, watching the headgear camera that the octoling that was behind the wall provided. It showed an image of Silver and Sapphire in Kelp Dome.

"Ready the army. They'll probably be cancelling each battle and sending them back to the lobby by default," the leader ordered an admin behind DJ Octavio. "Give them no time to rest or recuperate. This is our win, for it is in our favor."

* * *

Holding both his and Sapphire's Aerosprays in his hand, Silver began to carry Sapphire up in his arms. Her weak, but alive eyes stared up at the fireworks. He had to walk to behind a wall in a corner of the stage, behind the bush surrounded by a plastic fence. He had to trudge through Sapphire's ink while struggling to carry her, which injured him also. He looked at her with worry. Her eyes met with his, and her heavy breathing intensified. Taking her gun, he shot light-blue ink on the ground and laid her in it. For precaution, he set an ink mine in the hallway to their spot.

"Sapphire! Can you hear me?" Silver cupped her cheek slightly and raised her head up. She nodded weakly. "You need to turn into your squid form!" She obeyed him and slowly dipped in the ink. After a while, she resurfaced, her bruises nearly gone. Tiredly, she laid back on the wall.

"Sapphire!" Silver exclaimed that she looked better. He wrapped his arms around her body.

"...Silver, it still hurts..." she winced as he hugged her. "...But it's better now." She stood up slowly with the help of Silver.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know that it would hu-" Silver paused. "...You should have gone back to spawn..." he said in realization. Then he heard the beeping of his Ink Mine and its explosion.

And a voice.  
"SHOOT! NO! I blew someone up!" he and Sapphire turned around and looked at the pathway. There lying in silver ink was a heavily dressed inkling. Except she wasn't heavily dressed anymore. Her enormous headgear and her jacket fell off and got ripped from the explosion. Under that was a crying octoling, clutching her stomach. Her Octarian tentacles and her Octoling suit, boots, and tech glasses were clearly visible. Their eyes widened at seeing the octoling.

"They're back," Silver confirmed as all of the inklings in the Splatfest were immediately teleported out of the stage and back into the lobby.

* * *

In the lobby, it was crowded. There was only one path from the kettles all the way to the elevators in each floor. All on the floor were injured and weak inklings, and many uninjured ones too that were tending to the hurt ones. Silver help Sapphire walk through the lobby, spotting Aiden and Chloe. Chloe was kneeled over Aiden, crying.

"...Chloe? Aiden! What happened?" Silver called out, him and Sapphire rushing to the couple.

"I-I splatted Aiden with my roller, but he didn't go back to the spawn!" Chloe cried. She turned to Aiden. "Aiden, how are you feeling?!"

"...like a couch was dropped on me..." he croaked and coughed.

"At least it wasn't a Dynamo," Sapphire added. Running past them, was an older inkling. She held her Dynamo Roller in her hand and dropped down to a horrible beat up inkling. The inkling girl looked like she was crying over that she hit the guy with her Dynamo.

"...I spoke to soon..." she mumbled, looking around at all of the injured inklings in the lobby. Then, the screens turn on, catching the attention of all of the inklings.

The Inkopolis News Time theme turned on casting a happy tune that was easily overpowered by the hurt and sorrow in the lobbies.

"Dammit, stupid default program WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THE SONG!" Marie yelled off screen. The screen showed the plaza through the glass doors of the Squid Sisters' office. Callie popped up on the screen. Her black hair was down from its style and she held a gun in her hand.

"Everyone, calm down! For the time being, shoot all of your ink on the floor! Tell the injured to squid around in it. It will help! We've called all the available ambulances for aids!" Callie shouted at the camera quickly, her face serious as ever. "We have absolutely NO idea what's happening, but we're trying to contact everyone we can get to."

"CALLIE! MOVE!" Marie's voice boomed loudly. The camera shaked, and it was blown off the pedestal. On the screens, it was on the floor, a splat of ink on the floor. The view shook as Callie picked it up.

"What the he-" she was cut short as she focused the camera to the broken glass window. Groups of octolings and Octarian adults surged through the pothole and positioned throughout the plaza, some exiting out to go to the city. There were thousands of them.

"No..." Callie murmured.

"Callie! Get ready! This is happening right now!" Marie yelled offscreen.

Callie looked sternly at the camera. "DON'T EXIT THE LOBBY. I REPEAT, DO NOT EXIT THE LOBBY. WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS FROM SILVER AND SAPPHIRE. ANY UNINJURED CHARGERS, TAKE THE ELEVATOR UP THE TOWER. ANY DEFENSIVE WEAPONS, SUBS OR SPECIALS UNINJURED, GO TO THE ENTRANCE. AWAIT INSTRUCTIONS FROM SILVER AND SAPPHIRE. YOU TWO, GET YOUR PHONES OUT! I'LL TELL HOW TO CHANGE THE COLOR OF INK."

And as that happened, many inklings started to panic. Silver raised his voice. "STOP!" Everyone silenced.

"Snipers, set up." Many chargers began heading towards the elevators.

"Bubblers, and Splash Walls, ready up and defend the lobby," Silver pointed at the entrance. Many more went to position at the entrance.

He looked at the enormous crowd. "Stay here and help heal. If any octolings come in, shoot them. What happened to us probably happened to them." The crowd nodded. Sapphire looked beside her at Silver, admiring his leadership.

"Okay..." he sighed heavily. "Clarisse, Luke, Frank, Hank, and Sean," he cupped his hands, "and any A throught S rank, or levels 30 to 50, come here!" Out from the crowd came Frank's squad, Hank, and many inklings who seemed ready to battle.

"We don't need your leadership," Clarisse said bluntly.

"Well maybe you don't need your life," Sapphire shot back at her. "Listen to him." And at that, Clarisse crossed her arms.

"Everyone, we will be silver inked to prevent friendly-firing," he swiftly dialed Callie phone number. "How do you change color?"

"Hi, Silver," her static voice came through the phone. "Just run across a Team Art or Team Science kettle. I've programmed it to default to silver or light-blue," she instructed, a clang of a metal door panel shutting behind her.

"Thanks," he said, keeping the phone at his ear. "Everyone, make a single file line and walk over a Team Art kettle and ready at the entrance." At his command, all the inklings called forth began walking over silver colored Art kettles, Clarisse, Luke, and Frank doing so grudgingly. Then came Sapphire.

"I feel a lot better now," she said to him as she walked on top of a kettle. Her hair gradually changed from light-blue to Silver's own genetic hair color. "Mehehe, I have silver hair."

Silver smiled at that, but returned to his seriousness. "Callie, tell me when it's ready to come out."

"Fifteen seconds," she said through the phone while she was getting her gear and weapons ready. Silver and Sapphire had their backs against the wall, behind the defenders. They held their own weapons. Silver changed to a .52 Gal Deco while Sapphire had her Kraken Splat Roller.

"Ten seconds," Callie said again through the phone. Silver looked over all the fighters and healers in the lobby calmly before settling his composure. He nodded at Chloe and Aiden, still in the lobby, and at Hank, Sean, and Sapphire. Each gave a nod back in return. All was silent in the plaza.

...5

...4

...3

...2

...1

...

"GO, GO, GO!" Callie's voice shouted through the phone in Silver's pocket.

At that, an inkling kicked the automatic sliding doors down, the Bubblers and the Splash Wallers surging forward with slight hesitation. In front of them were about more than two hundred octolings and Octarian adults pointing their snipers and guns at the entrance. Acting on instinct, the Splash Wallers threw out their Splash Walls. Immediately, ten turned into an Octarian version of the Kraken, fifteen took out an Inkzooka, and twenty activated a bomb rush. Not to mention chargers sniping their Splash Walls away.

"No freaking way..." Frank muttered.

Silver's eyes scanned for an inkling in the small group. Immediately he spotted a younger boy holding a Splattershot Jr.

"Hey! You!" Silver shouted quickly. The boy turned his head towards him nervously as the Krakens and the volleys of bombs came closer.

"RUN TO THE FRONT AND BUBBLE, NOW!" Silver yelled. Immediately, the boy activated it and ran to the front of the Squid militia right before the Kraken hit and the bombs exploded. He stood at the front with a jubilant smile on his face as he shared his bubble with the army.

"CHARGE!" Silver yelled from his bubble as the defensive army surged into the battlefront, shooting, not splatting, any person vulnerable, such as chargers, Inkzookas, bomb rushers, and worn-off Krakens. The small army split off, covering more area, silver snipes coming from Inkopolis Tower. Then came a row of Luna, Range, and Rapid Blasters.

"We need another bubble and some Splash Walls!" he instructed to the squids that stuck with him. Immediately, the whole group shared one bubble and shot the blasters.

Because the militia of inklings split up, most of the two hundred Octarians were lying in pain on the ground or retreating out of the plaza. Silver and Sapphire stood there silently watching as the others cleared out the area. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a Splat Roller octoling jumped out of Octarian ink and swung at Silver.

"SILVER!" Sapphire shouted. As fast as lightning, the octoling was sniped out of the air onto the ground and clutched the spot where he got sniped. Turning around, Silver and Sapphire saw Annie standing outside Ammo Knights, Moe still in her hair.

"HA! GOT 'EM!" Moe yelled in triumph. Immediately he said afterwards, "You don't deserve that."

Filing out of Ammo Knights were Jelonzo, holding a Blaster, Crusty Sean, a Dynamo in his hand, and Annie, a Splatterscope in her hands aimed at where the octoling was going to attack Silver. Behind them was Shelldon handing out equipment. They all smirked at Silver and Sapphire.

* * *

Hank and the two little inklings who used to be teammates with Frank sneaked away into a back alley behind the buildings. Peering through the shadiness of the alley at midnight, they spotted their friend, still sitting down on the ground, trembling Super Sea Snails surrounding him.

"Hey loves," he greeted, "Hank, Carter, and Sophia."

"Hi, Spyke," the younger children bowed to the slender sea urchin.

"No need to bow," he said. "So I assume you need my assistance?" he questioned, gesturing over to the fighting going on. The three nodded.

Standing up, Spyke was taller than the three of them. He took the .96 Gal Deco that was hidden behind him when he was sitting. And with that, he parkoured up the soda machines and air vents in the alleyway and landed on the raised walkway that led to the Squid Sisters' office. He began to strafe, shooting from the walkway, while the little inklings tried to attempt parkour too. Hank exited the alley and returned back to the group.

* * *

"I still can't believe Silver and even Sapphire didn't call us to tell us their feat!" Sapphire's mom said.

"I know, Susan, they should have," Amy, Silver's mom, responded.

Both mothers were at the kitchen table in Silver's house drinking soda. Silver's mother had white hair, even though she was really young. It was her genetics that gave her white hair, and not age. When she was a teenager, she didn't participate in ink battles because she was not sllowed to use white ink. Though she understood the reason why, she decided to give up at eighteen and get a job. Her hometown was Firefin Town, which is a town full of different kinds of art. Living and growing up with art, Amy decided to teach Silver how to play musical instruments.

Sapphire's mother had regular blue hair and was fit and slim. She participated in ink battles when she was a teenager every single day when she was available. Her hometown was on an island of the SquidForce Islands: HakoForge Base, where she learned to fight and battle.

Their fathers were also there. They were sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV, watching live broadcasts of random battles. Silver's father, Samuel, had black hair and was tall. He, alike Sapphire's mom, Susan, participated in many ink battles when he was younger, even though he couldn't use black ink, for it was sometimes hard to see. Many inklings then had black hair too. He now has a well-paying job in Takoroka City in a service job. His hometown, like Susan, was HakoForge Base. He is also a member of the Inkopolis Battle League, along with many of the adult Squids who aged older than a teenager and still interests in battling.

Sapphire's father, Michael, had white hair, just like Silver's mom, Amy. He was born in Inkline City, which had factories and warehouses. It was a city that produced and distributed goods. When he turned fourteen, he stayed to help in the distributing industry, carrying boxes and equipment around. At sixteen, he moved to Inkopolis to try ink battles, but found out it wasn't his thing. He resorted to the commercial industry, delivering goods and carrying equipment from the outlying cities to Inkopolis.

Before the next battle, it announced that Splatfest has started. Michael glanced at the clock, which read 12:00 A.M. As the first battle started, Samuel, Silver's father, was excited, recalling back to his first Splatfest. Seconds into the battle, the two fathers realized what was happening.

On screen was a high definition visual of an inkling shooting his Dual Squelcher at a girl, the girl falling to her knees, trembling. Surprised, the boy who shot her ran over to her quickly. He carried her and set her on in a corner in Port Mackerel. An expression of worry was on the boy's face as he tried to shake the girl gently. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"...AMY/SUSAN!" they yelled for them to come over.

"What is it?" Amy said, walking over to beside Samuel. Susan followed and her eyes darted to the screen.

"What in..." she started.

"Are those two Silver and Sapphire?" Amy said peering at the screen in shock.

"N-No, but, look, honey!" Samuel said, pointing at the screen. The screen changed perspectives to many different battles. Each scene had many inklings wounded and injured. Suddenly the screen cut to a commercial.

The four sat in silence. Then the Inkopolis News Time music came on, with Marie cursing the song. Then followed Callie's message to the lobby and the image of the Octarians in the plaza.

Callie looked sternly at the camera. "DON'T EXIT THE LOBBY. I REPEAT, DO NOT EXIT THE LOBBY. WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS FROM SILVER AND SAPPHIRE. ANY UNINJURED CHARGERS, TAKE THE ELEVATOR UP THE TOWER. ANY DEFENSIVE WEAPONS, SUBS OR SPECIALS UNINJURED, GO TO THE ENTRANCE. AWAIT INSTRUCTIONS FROM SILVER AND SAPPHIRE. YOU TWO, GET YOUR PHONES OUT! I'LL TELL HOW TO CHANGE THE COLOR OF INK." The TV then switched back to a commercial.

"Did you hear that?" Michael said to the others. "Silver and Sapphire are there!"

The commercial was then cut short to the regular Inkopolis News. There was an adult sitting at a desk, stacking his papers.

"This is a broadcast to the whole region, or every squid-founded cities: Inkopolis, Firefin Town, Kettle City, Takoroka City, Tentatique City, and Rockenburg City. Also to the SquidForce Islands: Inkline City, Zink Island, Zekkori City, and HakoForge Base. Send any available fighters and combatants. We need to defend the city from the Octarians who infiltrated. Estimated to be hundreds of thousands of Octarians running rampant through Inkopolis, not even Silver, Sapphire and the teens are able to take down the army. They have progressed through the plaza and about to enter the city. Beware, this is a life-risking mission. As you have seen during the first few seconds of Splatfest, individual octolings shooting hard-to-see substances," the news anchor informed as a clip played on the televisions of injured teens trying to stop an octoling running around with her Octoshot, who was shooting the invisible ink.

"We need all the strength we have. Send fighters immediately," the news anchor said, signing out.

The four were silent. Then, Samuel, Silver's dad, and Susan, Sapphire's mom, stood.

"No, you're not going," Amy protested, grabbing Samuel's arm.

"We have to," Samuel said, including Susan in the subject. "Silver and Sapphire are there, and I don't want to see them get hurt even more."

"You're right..." Michael and Amy sighed.

"...I love you, Amy" Samuel said. "But I have to do this for the family and Sapphire's."

Amy nodded, and hugged Samuel. Likewise with Sapphire's parents.

"Now, please don't do anything bad when we're gone," Susan said to Amy and Michael, who started blushing.

"I know..." Michael said.

"Okay..." Samuel sighed. "I promise we'll get home safely with Silver and Sapphire."

Michael and Amy nodded gloomily. As Samuel and Susan rushed out the door.

* * *

Standing at the elevated walkway to the Squid Sisters' office were Silver, Sapphire, Frank, Clarisse, Luke, and Sean. They were observing the plaza for any remaining strong Octarians. The inklings didn't have the heart to kill them, but they did. They shot each body, making sure the Octarians weren't alive to cause any harm to Inkopolis.

Sapphire then caught sight of a familiar person with two younger kids.

"Silver, is that Hank? From Frank's team?" Sapphire questioned him, laying down a beacon next to her.

"Yeah..." Silver sighed. "But he isn't from his team anymore, I don't think." Just then, two Squids, jumping through the sky, landed next to Sapphire, discarding her beacon.

"AHHHHH!" she screamed in surprise. "...Oh hey, guys..." She sweat-dropped as Aiden and Chloe appeared out of the ink.

"Geez, so loud..." Chloe stuck a finger in her ear.

"Sorry..." Sapphire responded.

"Hey, Hank," Aiden greeted Hank as he and the two inklings walked up the raised walkway.

"Hank?" Frank spotted him.

"What do you want?" Hank asked tiredly.

"I just want you to know," Frank stood right next to Hank, glaring down at him. "when this Octarian thing is all over, you deserve to be beat up. Harshly."

"What?" Hank shot back. "You're the one who excluded me from the team in the first place. I didn't deserve to be beat up." Frank just sighed in response, glancing at the two younger inklings behind Hank. Hank ignored him and turned to Silver and Sapphire.

"So, we got Spyke from the alleyway to join up to defend," he informed them.

"Oh, we also got the shopkeepers in Booyah Base to help," Sapphire said.

"Really?!" Chloe asked. "All I can imagine is Moe chucking bombs from Annie's head," she said as she giggled by herself.

"Um, excuse me?" the younger boy, Carter, spoke up politely.

"What is it, Carter?" Hank looked down at the boy, his eyes averting to the fluffy object held in his hands. "I-Is that Judd?!"

"Yeah, he's still sleeping," the young girl said, looking at the cat snoring in Carter's arms.

"Oh, okay. Thanks, Sophia," Hank put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.

Then, Callie and Marie came barging through the glass doors of their offices. They were all geared up and ready to fight. A stern and determined look was on their face.

"Silver and Sapphire," Marie started, "there are some fighters traveling here as quickly as possible to defend from the Octarians. There are many coming from the Zink airport. Some are coming from both sides: Kettle City and FireFin Town. They're gonna help us restrict the Octarians and prevent them from advancing whatever plan they have."

"Won't the fighting like, um, destroy the city?" Sapphire asked nervously.

"Maybe," Callie responded, looking up into the midnight sky. "But all in all, it's only ink, and the Octarians use dark fuchsia-colored ink, which is easy to distinguish. What damage can it do?"

Then, one of the inklings in the plaza suddenly fell over, a ringing shot sounded throughout the area. He was sprawled on the silver ink, but blood was trickling out of his head. The inklings around him screamed and hid in their ink, and so did Silver and the rest of them on the raised walkway.

"Get down!" Silver shouted in a whisper.

Stepping away from the pothole to Octo Valley were ten adult Octarians, each holding a black colored weapon. Their weapons were different from one another, but looked intricately built. One of them charged up and released a round of metallic bullets and sprayed it over the plaza, denting the ground where the bullets landed. Inklings were still hiding in the ink but trying to escape the shots, seeing what one round did to an inkling.

These bullets were unlike anything the inklings have seen before. The ten Octarians' weapons looked similar to theirs, but more deadly.

Out of ten of them, three decided to check the raised walkway that the group was hiding in, pointing their weapons at the ground in assumption that Squids were hiding there. Their weapons looked like small Blasters. Ready to shoot, the Octarians rested their fingers on their triggers, still aimed at the ground.

 _BANG, BANG, BANG._

Then, a piercing scream came afterwards, belonging to Carter, the young inkling holding Judd in his hands. He reappeared out of the ink laid on the ground, clutching his arm where blood was trickling out of.

* * *

"It was a good idea to send in the ancient weapons, DJ," the leader mumbled, tousling his tentacled hair. "There are many deaths recorded in Inkopolis right now, because of those weapons."

"Thanks," DJ Octavio said. "And we still have more defense in Octo Valley in case they survive and charge in."

"That's correct," the leader said.

The leader started to talk into the microphone in his headgear. "Admins, go out and tell the fighters. When they are finished with Inkopolis, move on to the cities near it. Kettle City, Firefin Town, Takoroka City, all four of the SquidForce Islands, Tentatique, and Rockenburg City. Destroy those cities as well."

"Why, sir?" the admin asked through the headset.

The leader sighed. "Those cities were the original cities founded by the Squids. Using all the specialties each city had, they made Inkopolis. Without those cities and people, it would be nearly impossible to rebuild their region."

* * *

 **It was still Splatfest and still midnight when things got worse. Injured Squids, all because of the nearly invisible substance that contaminated them. Intrusions in Inkopolis, and our real-life weapons used by the Octarians. Will the next chapter be even worse?**

 **...absolutely.**

 **Let's see who DIES next chapter (SPOILER ALERT). And what will happen to the other cities and the Squid culture? Keep reading to find out.**

 **I originally planned for everything to take place in Inkopolis, but I thought to myself, why not make it interesting, and put some history in it.**

 **These new cities that I made were named after the different brands in Splatoon. As the Octarian leader said, the cities specialize in different things.**

 **...I have no idea what else to say in this A/N.**

 **...**

 **Will Silver and Sapphire and everyone else survive? Or will they die to hands of the Octarians? Make sure to vote if you love, share it with any Splatoon fans out there, and comment so I can interact with you guys and see your perspective on this book. Thanks for the support and all the reads. I'll see you all in the next chapter, in two weeks. (Don't get mad at me, I got another book to write.)**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	9. Chapter 8: The Destruction of Inkopolis

"CARTER!" the little girl, Sophia scooped up Judd where Carter dropped him, came out of the ink, and ran to him. At the sight of Sophia, the Octarians began to shoot.

"AHHHH!" she yelped jumping and swimming away while the rest took the chance to throw bombs at the Octarians. Chloe, with her exchanged weapon, the Carbon Roller Deco, used her special and released five Seekers to which three of them hit. Being weak, the Octarians laid on the floor, struggling to get up, not before Silver took their dropped weapons and shot them.

The weapon that Silver picked up shot similarly to a Blaster, but it had a cold and dark feeling with it. It looked frightening compared to the decorated weapons that they used in battling.

Backing off to his friends, Silver dropped the cold weapon and raised his hands. "I had to. What else could I have done?" he immediately said.

"Y-you killed three people..." Sapphire stammered, grabbing his arm.

"Look... I had to. Would you rather me kill people in defense or be killed yourself?" he asked her looking into her eyes. Sapphire responded with silence.

"Everyone can come out now," Aiden called out in the plaza. Cautiously, many inklings appeared out of the silver ink, staring up at the midnight sky and coming to join Silver to keep defending. Chloe looked over to some inklings who were knelt over a dead boy.

"What about that inkling there?" Chloe pointed to the plaza.

Silver peered at his lifeless and unmoving body, blood mixing with the silver ink around him. "There's nothing we can do about that," he said, "but if we hurry, we can get this boy to the hospital." He pointed to Carter.

He looked at Hank. "Go to recon mode and pick Moray Towers. Carefully fall off the course, since the kettles don't seem to be working. But you gotta get out of the stage boundaries before the time for recon is over. The hospital is in the distance with the helipad on the top," he told him. Hank nodded quickly and took Carter in his arms, Sophia closely following them with Judd in her hands.

"Guys," he turned to the rest. "We need to go into the city and stop those Octarians with these weapons," he said, holding up the black pistol that he stole from the dead Octarian. "If those Octarians have discovered weapons like these, who knows what they'll do to the city."

"C'mon, it's no big deal," Clarisse interrupted. "I can just throw a Splat Bomb or something anytime. No one needs you to lead us," Clarisse said arrogantly.

"...You know what?" Silver walked up to her and glared at her. "Do you wanna get shot in the head like that inkling over there and die?" he questioned her. "Well, I guess you want to, since you really badly want to get out of here. That's fine with me. You can leave now."

Clarisse just stared there in silence. Still knowing he was a bad leader, she jumped off of the walkway and exited through the pothole to Octo Valley. Frank and Luke had disappointed faces, directed towards Silver, but not Clarisse. One by one, the two decided to follow Clarisse through the pothole, going to the Octarians' base. Only Sean, from their group was left. Aiden smiled and nodded at Sean for making a good choice. The people left were Silver, Sapphire, Aiden, Chloe, and Sean, and the other many inklings that teamed up for defense.

Silver sighed. "Everyone, gather any other inklings that are healthier from the lobby. We need as much force as we can." Ten inklings nodded and went back to the lobby to retrieve more people.

"Ready up and let's go," he said sternly as he led his friends and many other inklings outside the plaza gate.

Chloe whispered to Sapphire. "He seems pretty tough when bad things are going on."

"I-I don't know," Sapphire said, walking behind Silver. "We didn't have any friends in school in Takoroka, so we just stuck with each other."

"I still don't see how we never met, even though we went to the same school," Chloe said.

"Yeah..." Sapphire responded.

Minutes passed by as the big group walked through the city. Finally, everyone arrived at the scene.

"...This is it, guys. Here we are," Silver said to the group. They had arrived at one main street with many intersections. Throughout the street, there were splats of ink everywhere, along with hints of bullets through concrete and buildings. In the streets, there were no cars running. There was shooting from the octolings and the Octarians with their weapons and their ancient, deadly weapons. They were battling against many adult inklings that were from the city, the police, and any other Squids that already arrived from the other cities.

Once the Squids entered Inkopolis, they had been shot with stealthy octolings with the clear substance. From then, they couldn't be splatted and go back to a spawn, as how Sapphire could shoot Silver and he would reappear at his front door. They had tried their best to fight through, even with the pain each shot of ink gave them.

"Let's go help!" Silver said to their group as they rushed in to battle. Suddenly, the inkling next to Silver dropped dead, a bullet through his head. Looking up, Aiden saw an Octarian on the a roof using a lengthy, scaring-looking weapon that had the same color as Silver's pistol. Seeing the dead inkling next to Silver, everyone hid in the silver ink. Aiden swam back out of the sniper's sight to go on a mission to splat him.

Soon enough, an octoling began to come their way, shooting the ground where the inklings were hiding. Silver had to shoot the octoling before he shot them. Fortunately, it was dark enough for a sniper to have a hard time seeing, so he took the chance.

Appearing out of the silver ink, he launched a Seeker, which effectively injured the octoling, making him stuck in the ink and wounded. Dipping back in the ink, Silver dodged a bullet from the sniper above. Shooting the wounded octoling eight more times completely killed him, and Silver had to hide again in the ink to dodge even more bullets. Looking above, he saw the sniper and Aiden sneaking up behind him. Aiden blasted him twice and stole his sniper away. Resting the end of the sniper on the Octarian, Aiden looked away and winced as he pulled the trigger. Aiden killed the Octarian sniper.

"Let's go! Now!" Silver called out, and the hidden squids reappeared out of their ink and began to charge forward. The inklings assisted the adult squids in battling with the Octarians.

The Octarians used weapons similar to the Squids, but were Octo thened, like the Roller. To Silver and Sapphire, the battle going on in the city seemed like a Turf War, but it was more brutal and more killing was involved than their regular ink battles. It was normal to shoot someone to splat them, but terrifying to shoot them until they completely die. But, it was something necessary, for the invisible ink was still on their bodies, even though they couldn't feel it.

Silver and Sapphire met in the middle of the ink-cloaked street. They were sweating and tired from fighting and killing.

"Silver, I don't want to do this anymore," she cried out. "It's too painful to watch myself kill someone!"

"Sapphire, it's gonna be okay," Silver hugged her tightly. "We just have to push back the rest and..." he stopped mid-sentence.

Behind Sapphire was an enormous group of octolings and Octarians. Their weapons were ready and set to kill. Their numbers were easily over the number of squids that have arrived to fight in Inkopolis. They were heading deeper into the city, but watching their backs as well.

"Everyone!" Silver shouted. "Fight the group as well as you can!" Silver sent out two Seeker and activated his Inkstrike. As the Inkstrike pushed the Octarians forward, they began to clash with the Squids.

Unfortunately, the because there were more Octarians than available Squids, the Squids were overpowered by tho others.

"Retreat!" Silver's voice echoed through the street. Many adults and inklings began to run away back to Silver and the group. After seeing that they pushed back the Squids, the Octarians ignored them and pushed forward into the city, destroying it in the process. For safety, they went all the way back to the plaza.

"Aiden, Chloe, and Sean, help evacuate any citizens into the surrounding cities," Silver instructed. "Callie and Marie, you need to make a mandatory news announcement to evacuate, because this isn't going well." Aiden, Chloe, and Sean left the group, following the Octarians into the city to help aid others. Callie and Marie went back into the studio, Marie calling the Inkopolis News Time producer and Callie setting up the camera.

"Everyone can come with us to Octo Valley. Any tired inklings or adults can go heal in the tower," Silver said. With that said, many squids dragged themselves into Inkopolis Tower, where many inklings from the first battles of Splatfest were still recuperating.

Sighing, Silver and Sapphire entered the kettle to Octo Valley, where they had spent the first few weeks of their life in Inkopolis in. The older squids followed behind them, surprisingly having not have been in Octo Valley. Of all the people in Inkopolis that fateful day, the once alive Captain Cuttlefish chose two, fourteen-year-old inklings who just arrived in Inkopolis.

Two adult inklings, a male and female, barely sighted Silver and Sapphire entering into Octo Valley. These two were Silver's dad, Samuel, and Sapphire's mom, Susan. Recognizing their children from faraway, they filed into the pothole with all of the other fighters.

* * *

"Sir, they're entering into our territory, Silver and Sapphire!" an admin notified the leader

"...So, you were beaten in the Octo dimensional gateway?" the leader asked DJ Octavio.

DJ Octavio nodded silently.

"They probably will go there in search of us. We aren't there, anyway, so send two gunners with the ancient weapons. We'll be able to kill them on the spot," the leader suggested. The admin nodded and went away.

"Without Silver's leadership, we can proceed further into Inkopolis and all the cities and islands around it, capturing all of the land that rightly belongs to us," the leader declared.

* * *

Two lone inklings strolled through the dark and eerie place, staying close together. They had memories of this place. The place where they beat DJ Octavio a week ago. Now, he was free, and nowhere to be found. Silver and Sapphire stayed cautious as they advanced further into the world.

The remaining group members had split off and began searching each kettle. With coverage in each area of Octo Valley, Silver and Sapphire were left to go to the UFO with the kettle in the sky, and go to the unsettling place they had defeated DJ Octavio before. But this time, they were in search for him, a leader, or anyone who had a part in executing the surge into Inkopolis.

"Silver, do you think there really is something at the end of these platforms?" Sapphire asked him.

"...Well, there should be. Where else would something be?" Silver responded. Suddenly, they heard a faint sound coming from faraway.

The faint noise was crying and yelling. "Help! Someone help me!"

Picking up the pace, Silver and Sapphire advanced through to see what the noise was coming from. There, at the edge of a cliff of the platform was Clarisse, dangling off the side. She was grasping on to the ground's edge, which was the only thing near her. On the platforms laid the lifeless and bloody bodies of Frank and Luke. These were the trio that broke away from the group, deciding that they could take care of the Octarians themselves.

"Hello?! Is there anyone there?" Clarisse called out, her grip loosening on the edge.

"...It's Silver and Sapphire," Silver hesitated to answer.

"Please! Can you help me up?!" she pleaded.

"...But you said you didn't need us," Sapphire shot back.

"Well I was wrong just PULL ME UP, NOW!" she demanded.

Sighing, Silver left Sapphire and put his weapon on the ground. He knelt near he edge to see Clarisse holding onto the platform with one hand. Silver first took her other hand and began to pull her up, using the ground he didn't ink yet.

"AHHHH! SILVER!" Sapphire screamed from behind him. Hearing her troubled voice was enough to pull Clarisse up and release her onto the ground. Immediately, an arm was dangerously tightened around his neck, the muzzle, or the point, of a pistol pressed onto the side of his head. His heart dropped, seeing as he had a gun at his head, and that he saw Sapphire a few feet away from him, in the same situation. She had a look of dread on her face as she glanced up at the adult female Octoling that was pointing a pistol at her head. From the corner of his eye, he saw Clarisse hide behind a tiny mesa of elevated land, not bothering to help them.

"Finally, we have them. Now you will be no more!" the male Octarian choking Silver rested his finger on the trigger, about to pull it.

The next events happened all too fast and simultaneously. He saw a glimpse of Sapphire's mom fighting with the Octarian that was choking Sapphire when he saw a hand jerk the pistol away from his head. The trigger was pulled and the bullet was shot on the ground, less than an inch away from Silver's feet. Coughing, he turned around and saw his father, Samuel, fighting with the Octarian. Right before Silver tried to grab his gun on the floor and shoot the Octarian, the Octarian shot Silver's dad in the chest. A frozen expression of shock appeared on Samuel's face as he fell to the ground, dead.

"DAD!" Silver screamed. "NO!" The shooting of his dad was enough for him to pick up jerk the pistol out of the Octarian's hand and shoot him with his own weapon and the pistol. Silver kept shooting until the adult Octarian was completely dead, like Samuel.

Then, he remembered Sapphire's mom running in to help too. Immediately, he turned around, aiming the pistol and his .52 Gal Deco at the other female Octarian, but she was dead, crushed by Sapphire's roller.

And so was Sapphire's mom.

Silver's heart plummeted as he saw Sapphire kneeling over the dead body of her mom, weeping and crying. Silver ran over to her and gave her a hug. Crying even more, Sapphire rested her head under Silver's neck.

"...MOM!" she cried sorrowfully as the bodies of both Samuel and Susan laid on the silver ink, no longer alive. Without Silver and Sapphire knowing, Clarisse slipped away running away in fear of the Octarians, back to Inkopolis.

* * *

"UGHHH!" the Octarian leader yelled in frustration. "They were supposed to kill THEM, not their PARENTS!"

"...Take advantage over the situation. Send every available troops out. They're too distraught to fight back," DJ Octavio suggested.

"Okay," the leader said. "Release all the troops, now. This is a full-on invasion of Inkopolis," he notified an admin through his headset.

* * *

Not even giving Silver and Sapphire time to think about what happened, octolings and Octarian adults began to appear out of the ground, coming up as if the entire surface of the platforms were kettles. Acting quickly, Silver dragged his dad's body over to Sapphire and her mom's, and Silver and Sapphire hid in the ink. Not suspecting anything, the Octarian army passed by, ignoring the dead bodies.

After all the army passed, and everything was silent again, Silver and Sapphire reappeared out of the ink.

"We should have killed them there when they were passing by!" Sapphire said.

"No, they would have overpowered..." Silver stopped mid-sentence.

"...What's wrong, Silver?" Sapphire questioned.

"...They're heading for Inkopolis Tower, where all of the inklings are..." Silver murmured. Suddenly, he got into action. "Sapphire! Do you have any remaining beacons?!" Silver asked quickly.

"Oh yeah, I do!" Sapphire responded. "But do you think it will work when we're this far away?"

"We have to try something," he said taking Sapphire's hand. "Just squid jump us to your beacon!"

Glancing back, Silver and Sapphire looked at their dad and mom, respectively, for the last time, tears rolled down their cheeks as they jumped out of the Octo dimension.

* * *

After about thirty seconds of flying through the air, Silver and Sapphire landed on the raised walkway, startling Callie and Marie, who were emergency broadcasting in their studio. Sprinting, the two made it to the first floor of the lobby. They decided to go to the bottom first.

"Everyone!" Silver called the attention to him, seeing that many inklings were getting better. "The Octarians are invading Inkopolis. All we have to do is get everyone out of here. Cross the bridge to Kettle City and FireFin Town. From there you can seek refuge in the other islands. This is serious, now let's get going!"

Immediately, all the injured and well inklings began assisting each other up the elevators and stairs. It was only about fifteen minutes until the bottom two floors were cleared out. Sending the first few inklings of the first floor of the lobby out, Silver heard an explosion. Peeking out the door, he saw many Octarians and octolings rush forward out of the plaza into Inkopolis wielding the ancient weapons, all colored black or a camouflaged. Callie, Marie, and the shopkeepers began shooting from the elevated walkway, able to take out some of them. Then came out many octolings with weapons that looked like Splat Bombs, Suction Bombs, and Inkzookas.

Instead, these were Grenades, Sticky Bombs, and Rocket Launchers.

At that point Silver realized it was time to make a run for it, seeing that Callie, Marie, and the shopkeepers ran out of the plaza.

"RUN AND FIGHT!" Silver yelled to the rest of the remaining inklings as he grabbed Sapphire's hand and pulled her out of the lobby. As the exited the lobby, they began shooting or swinging at the octolings that started to shoot them. Silver glanced over at the rest of the octolings, having thrown Sticky Bombs on Inkopolis Tower, the one holding the Rocket Launcher, ready to shoot. He realized it wasn't worth it to take time to kill them and die from the explosion in the process.

Quickly spotting his silver and light-blue bike that he parked near the lobby hours ago before Splatfest started, he pulled Sapphire onto the backseat, started the engine, and began accelerating away. As they exited the plaza gate, an enormous, massive explosion shook the whole area, nearly knocking Silver off his bike. Sapphire looked back to see Inkopolis Tower crumbling to the ground, the Great Zapfish plummeting into the sharp debris. The explosion set off fires in the plaza that started to spread. She glanced at the many running and swimming pedestrians and Callie and Marie that they passed on their bike, thinking back to the many young inklings that probably died in the explosion of the lobby.

Sapphire held on tight to Silver as he leaned forward on his Mach Bike and sped through the ink-filled streets. Silver began to shoot randomly at the Octarian Army. His grip tightened around the handle bars as he sped away from the fire spreading from Inkopolis Plaza.

In less than thirty minutes, he and Sapphire got to the two bridges separated from each other in about a mile. In the middle was the unfinished construction of Hammerhead Bridge. These bridges were at the southernmost part of Inkopolis. The left bridge led to Kettle City, while the right bridge left to Firefin Town. They had arrived just as the evacuating refugees from Inkopolis started running across the mile-long bridges.

"Come on, let's go!" Sapphire said persistently as Silver came to a stop on his bike.

"No, we gotta help," Silver responded, parking his bike next to the entrance of Port Mackerel and running to the nearest gear depository system machine. There, he exchanged out his .52 Gal Deco with his Range Blaster Deco. Sapphire did the same, but she substituted her Krak-On Splat Roller with her Gold Dynamo Roller.

She flipped her silver hair back. "Okay, I'm ready."

The streetlights were still on, illuminating the darkness of early morning. The rays of the sun only peeked out from behind the horizon of the water. Aiden, Chloe, and Sean were leading many citizens with no weapons or defense across the bridges, Sean taking people to the right, thinner bridge to Firefin Town and Aiden and Chloe leading people to the left, wider bridge to Kettle City.

Up in the air, there were helicopters taking patients from the hospital to Zink Regional Airport. The helicopters left many at a time, since there was more than one hospital that had helipads. Even though Zink Regional Airport was regional, it was definitely not small, servicing Inkopolis and the cities surrounding it.

Many adults were still arriving from the bridge to fight, coming only to see fire in the distance and citizens retreating back to the islands. Realizing that everyone was evacuating, the adults and Silver and Sapphire decided to hold off the Octarians from bombarding the Squids transferring over to Kettle City and Firefin Town. If they had the chance, they could destroy the enormous Octarian army along with the people who searched through Octo Valley with Silver and Sapphire that returned.

Finally, they were joined by the Squid Sisters, the shopkeepers, and Spyke who had come running down a street. Behind them was only HALF of the Octarian army, which was still a large number of fighters.

"They're the right behind of us," Jelonzo said with his weird grammar. His statement lead Moe in Annie's hair to think he was talking about butts.

"They're right behind us," Moe corrected with a snicker.

"I does not care," Jelonzo responded.

"Of course you don't care YOU'RE WASTING MY TIME!" Moe yelled. Annie silently shot Jelonzo a look of apology. Jelonzo nodded in return.

"Hey squiddos!" Crusty Sean said in his jolly manner. "What's the plan?"

Callie, Marie, the shopkeepers, and Spyke looked to Silver, expecting an answer. This gave Silver time to think.

"...Annie go to one of the lower cranes on one of the sides of Port Mackerel. There, you can snipe the Octarians," Silver explained.

"...okay," Annie said in her small voice.

"Crusty Sean," Silver looked at him. "You're fast with the Dynamos, so just roller them from the top of a small building."

"Got it, squid," he replied.

"Jelonzo and Sheldon, you need to meet up with the mayors of each city and all the refugees," Silver said. "Then, just supply everyone with goods and start to make a backup plan if this doesn't work."

"On it," Sheldon said, following the Squids across the bridges along woth Jelonzo.

"Okay, um..." Silver said, looking back at the remaining people he hadn't assigned yet. "Callie and Marie, can you fight with us?"

"Awesome! I'll use my pun gun to shoot them with my puns until they get annoyed of my punniness!" Callie exclaimed, trying to be punny. Sapphire giggled.

"Callie..." Marie sighed heavily.

"...Oh, sorry..." Callie apologized. "I'll help in any way I can!"

"Spkye, just do what you do," Silver said, not really knowing Spyke that much.

"Sure, my love," he said as he disappeared into the streets.

"...HEY WHAT ABOUT ME?!" Moe suddenly yelled at Silver.

"...I don't know!" Silver yelled back at him. "Just chuck your bombs everywhere."

"HA! THEY'RE GONNA GET DEEZE BOMBS!" Moe exclaimed, jumping around in Annie's hair. Annie looked at him weirdly. "SHUT UP!" Moe yelled at Annie, which didn't make sense, because Annie didn't talk at all. Finally, with most of the others gone, the fighters left, Silver and Sapphire faced the crowd of defenders standing at the gates of the bridges. The first of the Octarian army could be seen arriving from the streets of Inkopolis.

"...Everyone!" Silver and Sapphire turned to the crowds and raised their voice. "Get ready! The Octarians are coming!" he said as he got into position behind the wall of a building, Sapphire and some other people going off to charge up their specials.

It was silent, everyone was hiding, ready for the Octarians to come. Then, they got closer to the bridges, and where everyone was hiding. Crusty Sean decided to give the first attack, running out to swing his roller. He stopped abruptly in his tracks.

Half of the Octarians had ink weapons.

The other half had the ancient, deadly weapons.

The fire spreading behind them, the Octarians began to charge at Crusty Sean. Not able to swim in ink, Crusty Sean ran back behind a building wall, bullets and ink shooting right past his feet. Callie and Marie decided to unleash their Bomb Rush and Killer Wail. Following the Squid Sisters, everyone else released the power of their special weapons at the Octarians, taking out almost half of the army.

After the specials wore out, the Squids looked to see about half of the Octarians standing behind their dead and injured fighters, aiming their guns at the Squids.

Everyone then realized, it was time to leave.

"GO, GO, GO!" Silver pointed to the two bridges way in the distance on either side of him. "IT'S NOT WORTH IT! JUST GO!" At his command, many adult and inkling fighters began to split to each side of the street, running and swimming to get to the bridges that were about half a mile away. Silver and Sapphire stayed behind to defend, dodging and killing every bullet and octoling that got near them.

Seeing that everyone was gone and had left to the other islands, Silver and Sapphire got on his motorbike and started driving to the bridge to Kettle City. Silver leaned forward to increase the speed he was going, and Sapphire held on tight to him again.

While they were speeding, they could see more of the city on their right catch in flames. On their left, they could see the small rays of the coming sunlight glitter on the dark ocean. The sky was still dark, casting nagging feeling on the two. In front of them to their left stood the bridge to Kettle City. Blinking beacons were set on the iron girders that built up the bridge.

From where they were, Silver and Sapphire could see silver ink and bombs flying from the squids. A ways in front of them stood a group of octolings shooting back, many of them holding tons of grenades, sticky bombs, and other explosives. Then, all at once, the octolings threw he explosives onto the bridge.

Loud explosions occurred. Silver and Sapphire covered their ears because of the loud noises. The debris of the bridge fell into the shallow water. Luckily, no squid was near the explosion to get hurt, but the problem was that Silver and Sapphire could no longer cross the bridge because of the large gap in the road.

The octolings turned to the side and saw the two. Immediately, they released fire and started to shoot. Silver turned around swiftly and started to speed the other way.

"Silver, what if the other bridge was bombed?!" Sapphire questioned him.

"That wouldn't be good," Silver sighed as he sped up even more.

A few miles down, they arrived at the other bridge. Its road was also destroyed by explosions. Right at the entrance was a group of menacing Octarian adults.

"Dammit, no!" Silver cursed as he drifted the back of his bike in the silver ink and sped back the other way, doing his best to dodge the ink and bullets.

Not even halfway back to the other bridge, the Octarian octoling group came marching down the street, their weapons in hand. Sapphire looked back from where they had just come from and saw the other Octarian adult group nearing them as well.

Right beside them was a caution sign, blocking off an unpaved road. The caution sign read, "Caution, uncompleted bridge. Do not cross." This was the road to Hammerhead Bridge.

"Silver, we can't go through there," Sapphire said to him. "There's no road!"

"But there's a thinner road," Silver responded quickly.

"No..." Sapphire's voice trailed off. "You're not saying we have to drive on the iron beams..."

"Well, that was my plan," Silver answered. The two groups of Octarians came closer.

"...Whatever, just go!" Sapphire yelled hesitantly. Silver drove his bike through the sign and began driving down the unpaved road. They could feel the bullets and and the force of the explosions behind them.

In less than a minute, Silver arrived to where the road ended. Peering off the edge of the end of the road, he saw the dark waters below him. Cautiously, he centered his motorbike to cross the two-feet-wide beams of iron. Slowly, at first, he began to drive across the narrow girder. Sapphire glanced back to see the Octarians running carefully across the beams behind them.

"Silver! They're coming!" Sapphire yelled. She could feel his heartbeat when she held on tight to him. Finally, they got to the area designated for ink battles on Hammerhead Bridge. Increasing his speed on the wider ground, he drove over the malfunctioning kettle and began to cross the mesh bridges and the center to get to the other side.

At the other side, they were faced with another problem. Even though the girders were widening the nearer you got to the end, it was on a downwards slope. The rest of the unfinished bridge was directed to the beaches of Kettle city. Those beaches were empty and shady, because the other bridge from Inkopolis was above it. Behind the beach were cliffs, and on the cliffs was Kettle city. It's like Kettle City was built on an island that was a mesa.

Slowly but surely, Silver and Sapphire drove down the girders towards Kettle City. But because of their slow speed, The Octarians were able to catch up with them. Silver sped up dangerously as the Octarians began to throw explosives.

"Silver!" Sapphire yelled, for she was closer to the explosions. Silver sped up even more, struggling to keep his balance on the beam that about to fall because of the explosives thrown by the Octarians. Silver felt the beam below him dip down, and heard the deafening explosions behind him. Not caring anymore, he accelerated the most he could, seeing the rocky cliffs and beach of Kettle City.

The front tire of his motorbike slipped off the edge just before Silver could see the grounded paved road to Kettle City. Sapphire yelled in fear as they fell off the beam through the air. Silver looked upwards to see Sapphire clutching on to him tightly, tears streaming down his face. The bridge construction collapsed into the water. Hints of a golden sky were seen, illuminated by the gleam of the rising sun. He could feel the air around his body as he fell to the ground.

These were the last things Silver saw before he completely blacked out.

* * *

 **Hallo, guys. Silver is dead, and who knows if Sapphire is. The fire spread from the collapsed Inkopolis Tower, and the Octarian most likely took control of Inkopolis. Everyone is injured by ink as well as our real-life bullets, because of the substance that the Octarians developed.**

 **Will Silver and Sapphire be resurrected? Are they even dead?**

 **I'm so bad at the ending A/N's. I run out of things to say...**

 **This episode had fighting and action in it.**

 **Sapphire has temporary silver hair and so does everyone else.**

 **Inkopolis is destroyed.**

 **I don't know what to say.**

 **...Oh. Follow me on Twitter AuraMasterADV13 and on Tumblr auramasteradv13 There, I tweet/post stuff about my stories or what's happening in my life, or some stories that I've read that I recommend reading. Possibly, you could know more about me or something. Idk.**

 **Vote if you're anticipating the next part, share with any squids out there, and comment so I can see what you guys think. See you guys in two weeks, for the next chapter of Splatoon: The Corruption of Ink.**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	10. Chapter 9: Dreams and Reality

**A/N: MY FIRST FIRST-PERSON CHAPTER IN THIS BOOK!**

 ***sigh* My 1st First-Person chapter in this book!**

 **...Well, at least half of it...**

 **Oh, and here are some aura cookies to snack on while you read. I love cookies.** ️

* * *

 **Silver**

 _I couldn't stop it._

 _I couldn't prevent it._

 _Now, I realize that there were many chances to take them down._

 _But no, I absolutely failed._

 _I instead chose to be a coward and run. I decided to retreat instead of push forward. I could have saved the many lives lost in the collapsing of Inkopolis Tower and the fire. Now, this brings me to a choice. Live to defend others and witness the taking of lives..._

 _Or die and just end it all._

 _Of course this isn't a critical decision in reality, but if I was forced to choose, I would pick sacrificing myself for the sake of others. Losing one life is better than losing thousands._

 _Dying wouldn't really matter that much too me, though. I mean, who am I compared to everyone else? I would be forgotten anyway..._

* * *

Hazy images flickered on and off in my mind. Whether it's reality or not, it gave me a lot to think about.

My eyes fluttered open slightly. The sharp pain in my head had subsided a tiny bit. Through the blurriness of my vision, I saw Sapphire, her silver hair reverted back to light-blue. My head was presumably in her lap, her looking down at me with a sad expression. Tears were falling from her face and onto the sand; tears that glimmered in the sunlight. Out in the ocean, the rising sun shined down onto the glittering water as it moved in minuscule waves. Behind Sapphire were the cliffs, and beyond that, I could see, just barely, the outlines of the buildings of Kettle City.

My eyes opened up more, and I could see Sapphire notice. A hopeful smile appeared on her face as she leaned over and cupped my chin. She gave me a slight kiss on my lips. As she retreated, I began to notice the small cuts and injuries she had, and the ragged clothes she wore. My mind immediately recalled me speeding on my bike on the girder, Sapphire holding on tight to me, the shots and explosions dangerously close to me.

Suddenly, the sharp pain returned to my head. I began to feel light-headed and dizzy. In the last few seconds before I blacked out again, I saw the expression of worry reappear on Sapphire's face.

And the silver and light-blue Mach Bike floating towards the shore of the beach.

* * *

In my weak vision, I saw the shadowed white ceiling of a bedroom, shadows of raindrops projected on the white surface from the window. The room was dark. The rainy weather outside made it gloomy. Rainy weather rarely happened, which was weird, for we were all surrounded by bodies of water. Since it was raining, that meant no squid was outside, for they would get hurt by water.

I opened my eyes further. My tired eyes peered around the room. There on a chair sat Sapphire looking down at her phone. Attentively, she noticed my movement and came to me. Her mouth opened, seeming like she was calling out to someone. But no sound came out. Or rather it was me who couldn't hear.

Soon, familiar faces surrounded me. Aiden, Chloe, Sean, the Squid Sisters. They all smiled and tried to talk to me. But I still couldn't hear a thing. Then a faint sound became apparent.

"...silver..." a voice whispered as quiet as could be. I began to have a questioning look on my face. Everyone around me appeared confused as well. Then, the voice grew louder.

"Silver," it said clearer. Gradually, the voice became louder and louder. The sound became irritating and booming, causing the sharp pain in my head to return, as well as ringing in my ears. I clamped my hands over my ears tightly, while seeing the distraught faces of my friends.

"SILVER," the voice echoed back and forth, making me feel like my ears would burst. The ringing in my ears augmented.

I couldn't take it anymore. The sound of my name echoing in my mind was too painful for me to hear. Then, the very familiar feeling in the back of my head began to get larger. With too much pressure, I blacked out again, my eyes closing once more and my mind blanking.

* * *

 _What kind of dream is this?_

 _Why does my mind let me experience this?_

 _I know it's just a dream, but it's too heartbreaking for me to imagine._

 _Of course Sapphire's in it. Of course she was killed by an Octarian, shot to death with a gun. Of course I run up to her and fall to my knees and mourn over her death. Of course there's no "secret power" that would bring her life back. That's what all bad dreams are for protagonists. Then, when it actually happens, the "secret power" is instantaneously introduced. But I know there is nothing to bring a life back. Why wouldn't that be what I would dream? All of these dreams are horrible. Why was it Sapphire that died? Why did it have to be her that died in my dreams? I know that she's someone very close to my heart, but this is to difficult to dream of._

 _Every bad dream, someone dies. And obvious as it is, it will probably become reality._

* * *

 _What did I do to deserve this?_

 _What have I ever done to have this happen to me?_

 _A cycling process of dreams and reality. It was too much for me to handle. All I wish was for everything to return to the way it was before. Before all the conflict with the Octarians and us._

 _Or maybe I do deserve it._

 _Maybe I am the bad person._

 _Maybe if I overthink this, I'll be able to convince myself that I am the enemy. And kill myself._

 _...Actually, why not kill me now. What do I look forward to living for? What do I want to prolong my lifetime for?_

 _Absolutely nothing._

* * *

 **Kettle City is the city introducing the invention of the teleportation kettle and the transportation methods of vehicles. In a random house in a bedroom, lays Silver, and all his friends surrounding him.**

Sapphire was sitting down in a chair next to the bed where Silver was. He had woken up a few minutes ago, but then blacked out for an unknown reason. Sapphire had refused to go anywhere until she saw Silver wake up, for he saved her life. He hugged her putting her above himself so she wouldn't land painfully on the ground while they were falling from the air. Though, it was he who crashed to the ground, protecting her from the fall.

Meanwhile, Sapphire was texting Sheldon from Silver's phone, who had already gotten to HakoForge Base in the SquidForce Islands, which had the best fighters and military of the Squids. Their citizens were natural born fighters. Sapphire and Sheldon were planning on attacks back into Inkopolis, or if the Octarians would follow them into the islands.

Lately, they've been discussing the position of Firefin Town, for there were some that evacuated there. They also planned where everyone would meet up to recruit people to fight. Also, they thought of ways for support from all of the islands.

Everyone would be recruited at Takoroka City, inside the high school and college assembly halls and gyms.

Inkline City would be in charge of making weapons and supplies for the fighters.

Zink Island is planned ti be a backup plan for aerial attack or attack on water.

Zekkori City makes the gear and armor usable in battle.

HakoForge Base has all of the groups of leaders and fighters ready for combat.

Tentatique City has scientists testing and studying the almost invisible substance that was sprayed on the inklings on the night of Splatfest. All at the scientists know are that the substance makes you harmed by ink and unable to spawn back to the nearest teleportation kettle. The arms that the Octarians used are also being studied. The deadly bullets that were found in dead squids' body were taken out to by studied.

Rockenberg City is just there for natural resources. There are forests on the island and mountains.

Sapphire sent her final message to Sheldon. To go ahead and start gathering fighters to Takoroka City and inform them fully on what's going on.

Then, she heard the soft rustling of the bed sheets. She turned her head to see Silver propping himself up on the bed with an elbow. He winced as he moved his back and his head.

"SILVER!" Sapphire exclaimed, running to the side of his bed, alerting everyone in the process.

"Hey, Sapphire..." Silver greeted weakly. He looked at her to see her still in her ragged and ripped clothes, everyone else changed.

"Don't move anymore. I'm right here," Sapphire said. "I thought you would die! You passed out like two or three times!"

"W-What happened?" Silver questioned her. Sapphire couldn't get herself to say it.

"You plummeted from the girders of the bridge to the rocky beach," Aiden explained it for Sapphire. "You put yourself below Sapphire so she wouldn't hit the ground, but you did instead. You've been passed out for the whole day of Splatfest and Sunday. Today's Monday."

"Wait, how did I survive?" Silver asked softly.

"I have no idea. At least you didn't smash your head open on one of the rocks on the beach," Chloe said. "Some Squids saw you guys fall off of the rails to the ground and told us. But Sapphire's been here with you the whole time and refused to go anywhere until you fully woke up." Chloe glanced at Sapphire. Sapphire only smiled.

Silver tried to get up and out of bed. Instead, when he moved, he felt sharp pain in his back, shoulders, and neck. "Ahh-oww..." Silver's voice trailed off as he laid back down on his pillow. "Did I break anything?"

"Break anything?" Callie laughed and flexed her arms. "We don't have bones, Silver. It's all muscle!"

Marie face-palmed and sighed.

"What? It doesn't hurt to have fun at times like this," Callie pouted. "Oh, and Silver. The Mach Bike that fell into the water, it's being repaired by Archie from the repair shop, Sheldon's associate. He made it out of there," she informed.

"...When am I able to get up and move freely?" Silver asked after it got quiet.

"The doctors in the city said it would take at least until Friday to heal," Sapphire said nervously.

"...Friday?!" Silver complained. "Today's Monday! And why am I not in a hospital?"

"You're at someone's house that let you to recuperate here. Remember, you don't like hospitals," Sapphire responded.

"Oh yeah, that's true..." Silver said. "But I want to get up now and fight."

"Well you can't," Sapphire said, "but we have a meeting with the automation specialists downtown on Thursday. They said they were researching why the kettles aren't functioning correctly, and they wanted to share with us a new transportation technique that they developed using the technology of the kettle device."

"Oh, okay," Silver sighed as he rested back down on the bed. Sapphire neared him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I'm just glad that you're okay, Silver," she smiled, pulling away from the kiss. She hugged him tightly.

"O-Okay," Silver stuttered, hugging her back. He smiled as well as Sapphire went to get him some food.

Still, Silver couldn't get of the dark feeling that constantly nagged him. It made him feel dark and shady, his heart burdened. He looked around at all the others in the room wearily, who grinned back at him. Though, he still could not comprehend the feeling that he had.

The deadly and outcasted feeling that was deep down in his mind.

* * *

"YOU SAID THEY WERE DEAD! KILLED!" the general's voice hollered, even making his supervisor, DJ Octavio, flinch. "THE SQUID SISTERS ARE STILL ALIVE! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?!"

"..." the girl octoling stayed silent.

"WHY! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?!" the leader yelled again.

"..." the girl octoling still kept quiet.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW HATRED?! HATRED AND DEFIANCE TO MY POWER?!" the leader marched up to her and shouted louder.

"...Actually, yes. Yes, I am!" she responded rather confidently, her hands balled up into fists.

"Oh, you are?" the leader's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, are you trying to get yourself EXILED?!" the leader was suddenly enraged, his fist an inch close to smashing her face in.

"...Without a doubt," the girl took a chance to stand up to him. "I've seen the torture you put some of the Octarians in. There are so many of them out there who don't want to fight against the Squids. And I'm one of them!"

"Oh yeah? Do you want to get beat up and excommunicated from your own SPECIES?!" the leader hollered. He took her by the neck and slammed her into the dark wall behind her. She tried to yell in pain, but unfortunately, the leader was choking her to the wall.

* * *

 **Three days later on Thursday...**

"So, we've teamed up with the scientists down at Tentatique City. With them, we were able to discover something remarkable!" a scientist said. She pushed up her glasses to look at her paper. "But all that information will be revealed to you when you get to Tentatique City. For now, we will demonstrate a new teleporting technique we discovered while playing around with the specs for the kettle."

Silver, Sapphire, Aiden, Chloe, Sean, and the Squid Sisters were sat around a meeting table with a bunch of other scientists. The room had windows, overlooking an experimenting room. A small stack of papers were in front of everyone at the meeting.

"...Well, what is it?" Callie spoke up, since no one else did.

"Look of page three of the packet," another scientist told them. "We are made mostly of ink-"

"I thought we were made of muscle!" Callie interrupted.

"No, we are made mostly of ink. That's why when we are shot with different ink, we explode, and our soul goes back to a kettle and materialize there. Water too. Because ink is a liquid, and water is a liquid. We have our usable ink-water, and real water. When you fall in real water, the liquids meet, and your body of ink disperses," the scientist said.

Down in the experimenting room, a demonstration began. A shot of ink, landed in the kettle on the left side of the room. It then appeared and materialized on the other kettle in the right side of the room.

"You see, the kettles transport you by heating your bodies made of liquid into steam, and transports it to another kettle, which cools you down, allowing you to materialize again."

"Then why does it not feel hot in there?" Sean, who hasn't talked since breaking away from Frank, Luke, and Clarisse.

"We've managed to cool down the temperature and still have it heating and transporting. Because the temperature is somewhat lowered, sometimes messing up the transportation system, there's bad connection sometimes when you play Splatoon, like when you play with some Japanese people. We plan to fix this in a later update in Splatoon," the scientist told them.

 **A/N: I stand before a fortified, sturdy wall. "4th" is messily painted on the wall. Casually, I slightly kick my foot against the "4th" wall. Immediately, the "4th" wall tumbles down, crushing me to death.**

 **Kids, never break the fourth wall, or you'll end up like that guy, dead, under all the remains of the wall.**

 **I gotta stop. XD**

"So why doesn't it work anymore?" Aiden questioned.

"That will be revealed to you in Tentatique City, but for now, I'll show you this revolutionary transportation technique," the scientist said, signaling down to the workers below in the experimenting room.

"Moving on... Because heat can change your physical properties, we figured a way to teleport sneakily and invisibly," the scientist said, turning their attention to the demonstration below.

"If you heat up your body, it will turn into a more fluidic state. If you heat it up even more, it will boil and evaporate. But boiling your body up that much can be deadly. So we've managed to use the beacon sensor, or the red blinking light on each beacon, and compact it into this little portable cell."

The scientist showed them a model. A tiny pocketable case was in his hand. It was about the size of a Suction Bomb. The capsule was indented in the middle. On the top split part was the red flashing light on Squid Beakons. Regular beacons were in the shape of a tower, with a protrusion coming from the middle of it. One half of the capsule was designed to fit the protrusion that helped Squid Jump battlers and the red light.

Down in the experiment room, an orange-haired adult easily pried open the capsule and threw the half with the flashing red light over a wall. In his other hand, he squeezed the other half of the capsule. In less than a second, he was set on fire, his body immediately vanishing into a state of gas. A hint of orange flew in the air of the room. Then, appearing on the other side of the wall where the beacon was thrown was the adult, gradually forming back. He was transparent, and it gave him another few seconds on slight invisibility.

"You see, the packet in the bottom half of the capsule, when squeezed, it will engulf the user in the hottest of flames, and instantly evaporate your body," the scientist said.

"But doesn't it hurt? The fire?" Sapphire asked.

"No. That's what everyone believes. Because of the destruction fire brings to structures, everyone thinks that they wouldn't survive in it. Instead it will change you to another form. The fire feels like a fiery and rebellious willpower building up inside of you..." the scientist described.

"Oooh, can I try?" Callie asked as she reached for the capsule in one of the scientists' hand. Immediately the scientist retracted her hand.

"At this time, we aren't able to use this," the scientist said. "Because of the nearly invisible substance that the Octarians sprayed on us."

"Well, why can that guy down there do it?" Callie asked back.

"Because that guy hasn't been affected by the substance yet. This substance is contagious and affects others through contact or just being in the vicinity of another person," the scientist said.

But he gave it to everyone anyways. "I'll give it to you anyways. But always know that activating this is the same as suicide, until we figure out a solution to this unknown," the scientist said as he handed three capsules to each person.

 _...Suicide..._ The word stood out in Silver's mind.

"I need you to go to to Tentatique City and give this piece of technology to them. They'll figure out how to make it usable soon," the scientist stood up and dismissed his other colleagues.

The others stood up, stretching. They all looked at Silver, who got out of his chair slowly, looking at the capsule in his hand.

"Hey, Silver," Sapphire took his hand and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

Silver only nodded silently, clutching the capsule in his hand. Quietly, he followed everyone out the door, a deep emotional pain growing in his heart.

* * *

It was evening in Kettle City, cars and trucks still running throughout the city. But off of the elevated city was a silver-haired inkling on the beach. He sat along the waterline, careful not to touch the water. He looked out to the water, glimmering with the reflection of the setting sun. His eyes averted to the capsule in his hand. Slowly, he pried the capsule open, splitting the sides. In his left hand was the beacon itself. In his right hand was the small, little cell that could set himself on fire.

Silver gazed out to Inkopolis City, distant and far. He could no longer see the standing, green Inkopolis Tower with the Zapfish on it. It was toppled over, and the Zapfish was dead. The wisps of fire raging throughout the city was visible, but it had diminished. But through, Silver's escape, he had left many lives in Inkopolis to the hands of the Octarians.

It was his fault that many people died in Inkopolis.

Or maybe it wasn't. Or maybe he's thinking of this to make yourself feel bad. In his own opinion, he thought lowly of himself. He was trusted with protecting the city, when in the end, a majority of them had perished.

Silver couldn't take it anymore. There was a lot of pressure building inside of him, and things needed to be fulfilled. The pain in his heart intensified as he looked down at the half-capsule in his hand. If he squished it right then and there, he would die. He wouldn't have to blame himself for anything anymore.

He could kill himself. Just as the scientist said.

Sighing deeply, he placed the cell in the center of his hand. With nothing to regret, his fingers descended, ready to squish it.

"...SILVER, NO!" a voice yelled behind him. Footsteps behind him closer as he decided to press down on the cell.

Silver could only feel the burning sensation for less than a second. His hand was then smacked open, the cell flinging out of his hands and into the sand. From the cell burst a flaring flame that grew and heated up intensely. The flame grew massively for one second, and then died. Silver turned around to see Sapphire, kneeling behind him.

"...Silver..." she murmured as a tear trickled down from her eyes. "...Why...?"

"..." Silver turned away and said nothing.

"...Why are you..." she grabbed his shoulder. "W-Why are you trying to kill yourself?"

"..." Silver still said nothing.

Sapphire groaned. "Silver, why? Talk to me."

"..." Silver stayed quiet.

"Silver, answer me!" Sapphire looked into his eyes. "Tell me! What happened?"

"..." Silver turned the other way.

"Silver!" Sapphire grabbed his shirt collar and smacked his face to the sand. "Answer me! You're so arrogant!"

Silver felt the blood rushing to his face. He felt the pain of Sapphire's smack. Then, he put his hand against the cheek that was slammed into the sand and felt blood from where the sand scratched his skin. The blood trickled from his cheek to his hands. Standing up with a sigh, he walked away to the cliff where the town was above, leaving Sapphire behind.

"S-Silver! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Sapphire quickly apologized and fan after him. Silver didn't bother to look behind.

"Silver!" Sapphire grabbed his hand that wasn't bloody and tugged it back. Silver stopped walking and stood still.

She made him sit down on one of the smooth rocks at the bottom of the cliff. She ripped off the bottom of her old Splatfest T-Shirt and pressed it against Silver's scratched and bloody cheek.

"I'm sorry, Silver! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry I yelled at you!" Sapphire apologized, her voice full of regret and sadness.

"...I'm sorry I left people in Inkopolis for dead..." Silver said quietly.

"Left people for dead?" Sapphire raised an eyebrow. "That's not your fault! We couldn't do anything against the Octarians!"

"Yes, we could. There were many chances to stop them," Silver said a little louder.

"You knew we could do whatever we could at the moment. You keep beating yourself up for something that already passed!" Sapphire looked into his eyes. "Stop doing that. You're scaring me."

"..." Silver grew silent again.

"Silver, stop thinking about things that passed. You're overreacting, and hurting yourself over nothing," Sapphire tried to comfort him. "It's all in your head."

"..." Silver listened to her quietly.

"There are still people who love you-" Sapphire was interrupted by Silver.

"People who love you... My dad was killed in the Octo Space. Your mother was killed in the Octo Space. Do you know whose fault that is?" Silver shot back. "It's my fault! Because I got us into trouble!"

"You can always blame Clarisse! She got us into trouble! You decided to help her..." her voice staggered as she realized she was blaming Silver for helping Clarisse.

"Yeah. I decided to help her, then we got into trouble. It's my fault, no denying it," Silver muttered.

"Look, just forget about that, please. You did what you can back there, and that's all that matters. I love you, Silver. And I'd give everything to have you in my life forever. So don't kill yourself, please!" Sapphire stared deep into his cold, silver eyes.

Many seconds passed, him looking out to the last rays of sun on the water. Silver nodded slowly. Crying, Sapphire buried her head under his neck and gave him a tight hug.

"Silver, you always have me. I'll love you forever. Don't ever leave me," she said in between crying.

"Okay, Sapphire..." Silver responded. "...I love you, too..."

"...Come on, let's go back..." Sapphire said, sniffling. "I won't tell anyone what you were trying to do. I'll take care of the scratches and blood on your cheek, Silver..."

Silver nodded and stood up with Sapphire. Sapphire slipped her hand into Silver's hand, dried with blood. In her other hand was the bloody ripped part of her shirt. The two began climbing up the cliffs back the the still busy city, darkness of the night engulfing the beach.

The depressing feeling in the bottom of Silver's heart was gone. Instead, it was replaced with confidence and love for Sapphire and her support and love.

* * *

"So, we gotta go to Takoroka, the SquidForce Islands, and then Tentatique City," Aiden confirmed.

"Correct, and we'll be planning for the military to push back into Inkopolis in Takoroka City," Silver said.

Currently, Silver and everyone were near the front door of the house they took residence in. Silver and Aiden had already given thanks to the owner of the house and were about to leave. Silver, more importantly, was fit and well. His back and shoulders were no longer hurting and were healed. Onky his cheek was shown to have blood and cut marks on it. Silver had changed into a hoodie and jeans while Sapphire dressed into a short shirt and shorts.

"So, we ready to go?" Chloe asked. Everyone nodded.

Then, an explosion was heard far away. Instantly alerted, the gang ran outside to the road. In the distance, at the border of the city, arrived what seemed an army of Octarians, luckily with no ancient and deadly weapons. They had arrived by boat to under the cliffs at the beach.

"Are you kidding me?!" Sean was pretty angry.

"It's been only five days and now they decide to conquer here too!" Callie complained.

"Are we gonna try to fight back?" Callie asked Silver.

"...No. We're gonna play it smart this time. We don't have enough fighters to defend. So, all we can do is evacuate anyone here as much as possible to Takoroka City," Silver said confidently and smiled at Sapphire. She smiled back at him.

"You ready to go, Silver?" Sapphire questioned him with a smirk.

"As always, Sapphire," Silver smiled cooly as the gang split ways to help defend and try to evacuate the city.

* * *

"Get OUT OF HERE!" the general hollered at the coughing octoling girl. "AS OF NOW, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BEING IN OUR TERRITORY. YOU SHALL BE EXILED FROM THE OCTARIAN NATION!"

The girl only coughed more, a defeated expression on her hurt face.

"GO!" the leader's voice boomed. Even DJ Octavio flinched at the volume of his voice. The leader grabbed the girl by her shirt collar, threw her to the door, and kicked her out with his boot into the dark hallway.

The girl cowered in fear and ran through the dark hallway, no longer caring about herself anymore.

"NO ONE SHALL UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF ME!" the general yelled through the closed door.

"I AM GENERAL OCTAVIAN SHADOW, AND NO ONE SHALL EVER STAND IN MY WAY!"

* * *

 **Another part finished! So what do you think? This one chapter spans from Saturday to Friday.**

 **How do you guys like the 1st-person part for Silver at the beginning? Do I write better in 1st-person? Is it more vivid and descriptive? Comment and tell me, so I can write more like it.**

 **And, today is November 1st, but technically November 2nd, since I'm posting this at midnight on a school night, which is really a bad habit. But, it's still technically Halloween, right? (Again, posted a while ago.)**

 **I'm gonna start a Youtube channel soon. It's gonna start out as a channel for video game music. Be sure to check it out when I release my first video. (Never happened. Will happen soon though.)**

 **Here's an aura cookie. Did I mention that I love cookies? :)**

 **Vote if you love, share with any people who feel bad about themselves (and try to cheer them up), a comment so I can see you guys' opinions. Until next time!**

 **OH AND PLZ TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THE GENERAL'S NAME. GIVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE, FOR ANY ALTERNATE NAMES IF YOU THINK THE NAME OCTAVIAN SHADOW DOESN'T FIT. PLEASE! I'm so bad at naming things. XD (I already chose a name. Nevermind. XD)**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	11. Chapter 10: Return to Your Roots

Inkfire was heard echoing through the dark blue tunnel. Silver and Sapphire came rushing out, the last two evacuating from Kettle City. Hiding behind the tunnel entrance wall, he chucked a Splat Bomb deep into the descending tunnel. Immediately, a silver inksplosion stopped the small group of octolings that were sent ahead to try to possibly gain control of Takoroka City as well.

Silver sighed. It had been an eventful day. Luckily, the gang's check through Kettle City was thorough, and everyone had been lead to safety. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he fell to the grassy sidewalk beside the entrance of the tunnel.

The entrance was a sturdy brick and clay structure with the roads descending inside of it. It was positioned right in front of the waterfront, the actual tunnel running deep in the water. The tunnel itself was built of transparent, unbreakable glass with the road paved inside.

Silver moved to behind the entrance. He rested his back on the brick wall and looked out to the sight before him. It was all familiar to him, for he finally arrived back in his hometown, Takoroka City. His silver eyes gazed out onto the sun setting at the horizon of the water, behind the, now seeming, small and distant island of Inkopolis. And also the rock-cliffed island holding Kettle City.

He saw absolutely everythhing. Inkopolis, the bridge to Kettle City on the left and Firefin Town to the right, their broken paths due to explosions, and Hammerhead Bridge. Squinting, he could see a microscopic spec hovering above Inkopolis.  
Directly in front of him was the clean, but empty beach of Takoroka. His parents and Sapphire's parents used to always take them to this beach, where Silver and Sapphire play in the sand.

Behind him, the sidewalk and road continued out of the tunnel and cut through green meadows of cleanly-cut grass. At the end of the meadows, the area would become more urban and orderly.

Sapphire stood leaning against the wall behind Silver. She smiled down at Silver, who was still trapped in his thoughts. Sapphire giggled quietly at Silver. Hearing her giggle, Silver snapped out of his train of thought.

"...Oh hey, Sapphire..." Silver murmured as his gaze returned to the glowing water and the golden-tinted beach.

"Hey, Silver," Sapphire said, running her hand through his silver, tentacle hair. She sat beside him and leaned against his shoulder.

"...I remember when we used to squid around on the sand whenever we came to the beach..." Sapphire said in rumination of the past.

"...Yeah..." Silver responded.

All was quiet. The two sat there in silence, the sound of the crashing waves echoing throughout the area. Then, snickering was heard behind them.

"...Hey, guys..." Chloe said behind them.

"You guys gotta get home now. It's getting late," Aiden said as well. Sean stood behind them and gave Silver and Sapphire a small wave and a smile.

"Your parents are so nice," Chloe remarked with a smile. "They let the Squid Sisters and us sleep there!"

"...We're home..." Sapphire gazed at the all-to-familiar city behind them. "We can see Dad and M-" Sapphire abruptly paused.

Silver suddenly grew quiet.

"...Dad..." Sapphire whispered, correcting herself.

"...and Mom..." Silver added quietly, regarding his last alive parent.

"...They're really worried about you guys," Chloe said. "You should go see them."

"You're right..." Silver stood up and took one last look at the now distant Inkopolis. He stood up, giving a hand to Sapphire to help her get up.

"...Let's go..." Silver said somberly as him, Sapphire, Aiden, Chloe, and Sean made their way back to the city.

* * *

That moment of worry and anticipation, that deep, burning feeling in your heart. This is exactly what Silver and Sapphire felt when they knocked on the door to Silver's house.

Slowly, the door opened. There, standing in the doorway were Silver's mom, Amy. She seemed weak and had a weary expression on her face.

"...Silver, you're back..." she slowly whispered.

"Hi, Mom," Silver greeted and tried to smile.

"Silver, I was so worried!" his mother yelled in frustration. Running up to him, she wrapped her arms around her son. Silver got choked up in the grasp of his mother.

"Mom, don't worry, I'm here, alive. Am I not?" Silver tried to comfort her as he looked up into her sorry eyes.

"I-I guess..." his mother said in a low voice.

Everyone was silent. No one couldn't get themselves to say anything in the awkward situation. Silver spoke up first. "So... How have things been doing around here?" he asked nervously.

"Well, you know..." she started, her voice unsteady, "your father and Sapphire's mother went to go help..."

"Mom, I know! I'm sorry it happened! I couldn't do anything about it!" Silver tried his best to apologize.

"I know, but Samuel's still dead! You can't bring him back to life, can you?!" Amy yelled at his son and glared down at him. Silver flinched, for he's never seen his mother this upset before. Suddenly, she started crying again. Leaving the group, Amy went back inside the house, her footsteps heard running up the stairs.

Everyone looked at Silver as he just stood there, frozen in shock. Regaining his composure, he turned to the others. "Let's go inside... I guess..." he said quietly. Slowly the group went inside.

In the kitchen, Sapphire's dad was at the stove, cooking a meal. The delicious smell of the food was enough to make everyone hungry. But Sapphire's dad was unusually silent.

"H-Hi, Dad!" Sapphire greeted quietly. "Um, why are you here and not at home?" she asked him as she gave him a slight hug.

"Well, Sapphy..." her dad called her by her nickname. Silver smiled at that. "...I've been here trying to help Silver's mom with doing things around the house. Especially since two of us are gone."

"Look, I'm really sorry that they died, but-" Silver said but was interrupted by Sapphire's dad.

"Silver, don't be sorry. Stop putting yourself down like that. You couldn't do anything, and your mother needs to understand that," Sapphire's dad looked at Silver calmly.

"...okay..." Silver responded quietly.

Sapphire's dad turned to the group. "I'm sorry about how Amy reacted, kids... She really didn't mean it. She's really distraught on what happened."

Everyone nodded silently. Sapphire's dad then returned to the kitchen stove. "Now you all get yourselves cleaned up. Dinner's almost ready." And with that, everyone went upstairs and settled in one of the guest rooms. Sapphire followed Silver into his own bedroom. With walking through the hallways, everyone was sure not to disturb Silver's mom in her locked bedroom.

* * *

After an awkward and quiet dinner, the group went upstairs to Silver's room. They really had nothing to do, but tomorrow was the big meeting in the Takoroka High School gymnasium. It was really the first time in a long time that Silver and Sapphire had nothing to do. So them and the others stayed in Silver's room doing whatever they wanted.

"Hey, Silver!" Callie called. "What's this case thing?" she asked, slightly kicking a gray case next to the wall on the floor. Next to it was a smaller, black case.

"Don't kick it!" Silver turned around. He got up from his desk and away from his computer to where Callie was standing. "That's my saxophone!"

"Your saxophone?!" Aiden exclaimed.

"You play the sax?!" Chloe said as well.

"Um, yeah?" Silver said in a questioning manner.

"But you're from Takoroka! Almost all musicians and artists come from FireFin Town!" Marie explained.

"Oh, Firefin Town? That's my mother's hometown," Silver said. "She actually bought and taught me how to play the piano, clarinet, and saxophone."

"Can you play for us?" Chloe pleaded.

"...Okay, I guess..." Silver shrugged his shoulder and opened the case. Inside the case was a shiny, gold-colored tenor saxophone. He picked the pieces up, forming them together.

He sat on his chair and started playing. As he blew air into the saxophone, it came out through the bell as a full, mellow melody. The tune he was playing soon became recognizable as Splattack from the Squid Squad music group.

It was the same recognizable well-known tune. But as Silver played it, he used his own, unique style into performing it. Even without accompaniment, his music sounded great by itself. Jazzy, unique, and improvisational. Imagine if it was accompanied by other instruments; a good musical group that would be. He showed he had the potential to be a great musician.

As he ended, everyone was speechless. They could not believe how good he was, with the fact that he had been gone from home for a few weeks. "So, how did I do?" Silver said unaware, not knowing how well he played. Sapphire smiled, for she has heard him play before.

"IT WAS AMAZING!" Callie yelled in excitement.

"Really? It was?" Silver raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think it would be, because I only started a few mons ago."

"Well, you are, Silver," Sapphire smiled. "Wasn't my praise enough to make you believe?"

"No, I thought you were just trying to make me feel better," Silver smirked nervously as he put his saxophone away.

"IT WAS A REAL COMPLIMENT!" Sapphire yelled at him. Forcefully she threw one of the pillows from his bed at his head. Unexpectedly, Silver was knocked out cold to the floor, his head slamming on his chair, slumping on the floor.

"Uhh, Silver?" Sapphire said worriedly, all the frustration she had at him gone.

"I think he's still a bit weak from the pain he had a few days ago," Sean explained quietly.

"Maybe you shouldn't playfully hurt him like that," Aiden cautioned. "For now."

Sapphire laughed. She got off his bed and knelt on the ground where he was lying unconscious. "Hahaha, sorry," she cooed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Tiredly, she dragged him up on his bed and laid his head on her lap.

"Guys, let's play Truth or Dare!" Callie said excitedly. The others nodded with less enthusiasm as Callie. Turning off the lights, everyone sat around the bed or on the bed, getting ready to play.

It was a carefree time. A time not really common in the dilemma the Squids were having. But, it was nice to relax through all the fighting.

* * *

General Octavian Shadow sat down after seeing that the girl had run away, an annoyed expression on his face. He looked at DJ Octavio, confirming that he agreed with his decision. Instead, DJ Octavio was in shock and had a seemingly frozen expression.

"...You didn't need to be so harsh on that girl," DJ Octavio said quietly.

"Well, that's what she gets for believing against our cause," the general said. "Now, I want you to sneak in Takoroka City and try to kill Silver. All of our forces are in Kettle City and Firefin Town, so we need you to go there."

"...Why me?" DJ Octavio shot back. "Can't you just send half of the forces from each city to Takoroka?"

"No," the general said bluntly. "Because I said so."

"Well, I recruited you, and I am the King of the Octarians," DJ Octavio argued. "What makes you think that you're in the position to tell me what to do?"

"What? Do you want me to go?" the general asked, completely ignoring the available and convenient forces. "Do you want me to go, and if I die doing it, the army won't have a commander?"

"...N-No..." DJ Octavio answered.

It became silent. Neither of them knew what to say to argue back. The relations between them began to tense, untrustworthiness and deceit slightly clouding their minds.

* * *

"It's been a long time since I've been here..." Silver murmured as he entered the Takoroka School gymnasium.

Takoroka School was set in the middle of the quite large city. Takoroka Elementary, Middle, and High School was built in one complex, while Takoroka College was set in its own campus relatively close to the others. All four schools were enormously sized, with dormitories for all grades. The dormitories were available for other inklings from other cities who wanted education.

The meeting itself was held in the Takoroka Middle School gymnasium, which was larger than any regular gymnasium. As Silver and Sapphire walked through the gymnasium, many teachers whom they recognized from their school years congratulated them. Even some of the students who used to be classmates with them congratulated them.

Soon, the group spotted Sheldon standing near the corner, talking with other representatives from other cities.

"Hey, Sheldon!" Sapphire waved.

"Hello," Sheldon said in his nerdy voice as he broke away from the other representatives. "You all are early."

"We are?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah. It's in two hours because there's gonna be A LOT of people recruited," Sheldon explained. "So, you all can do what you want for an hour," he said, turning back to his conversation.

"Sweet!" Callie explained, grabbing Marie's hand. "I wanna go see the high school and college."

"Why?" Marie asked quickly.

"Because I've never gone to one!" Callie said, pulling her out of the gymnasium.

Many of the inklings wandering the hallways laughed at them or started screaming hysterically, trying to get them to notice. Everyone laughed along.

"Hey, Aiden," Chloe caught his attention. "We should go see our classmates who continued to high school," she said as she took his hand.

"Okay," Aiden responded with a smile and continued with her. Just as they were about to reach the exit, Aiden looked back and stopped Chloe. "Chloe, look..."

Chloe and Aiden turned around to see at the far side of the gym, were Silver and Sapphire. They were sitting against the wall, hand in hand, and on their phones. After a few seconds, Sapphire playfully slapped Silver's cheek. Silver smiled afterwards, sending her something on his phone.

This scene triggered a deep memory in Aiden and Chloe's mind. A deep, dark memory...

* * *

 _It was the night of the social, where everyone could dance and have a good time. The gymnasium's lights were out and beams of light were flashing everywhere. In the dark corner of the gym sat two squids, jumping around on the floor._

 _Then, six squids slammed their squiddy bodies into the other two. Then the eyes of the two isolated inklings started to water, tears trickling down their small bodies. The other six squids laughed and squidded away._

* * *

Aiden and Chloe now imagine that now. Six inklings pushing and hurting Silver and Sapphire. Silver shielding Sapphire from being hurt, glaring at the attackers. The six bullies laughed and walked off, making fun of them.

And two of the bullies were Aiden and Chloe.

"FINE! I'LL GO!" DJ Octavio yelled as he grabbed his weapon and stood up.

"Good," said the general calmly.

Right as DJ Octavio was about to exit, he turned around suddenly, sending a shot from his blaster to the general. The general stepped back just in time to not get hit by the blast.

"Foolish Octavio," General Octavian Shadow chuckled as he activated his Bubbler. Out of nowhere a Splat Bomb exploded underneath DJ Octavio, wounding him greatly. "Do you think you can mess with me when the substance YOU created is in effect?"

DJ Octavio moaned in pain as he slipped into unconsciousness. "DJ, I am stronger than you. I always have been. Accept it now, for I am the KING of the Octarian nation!" the general's voice boomed. Dragging DJ Octavio's unconscious body, the general set him in a snow globe and left the room.

An hour later, he arrived at the shores of the now captive Inkopolis. Smirking, he peered out into the distance where the other cities were. Carefully, the general set the snow globe in the water and pushed it forcefully with his foot, cautious not to touch the water. As the snow globe with an unconscious DJ Octavio floated in the water, General Shadow took out his "ancient" weapon, a sniper rifle. Right before the globe was out of sight, the general pulled on the trigger.

Out in the distance, the glass that made up the snow globe shattered, sending the still unconscious DJ Octavio in the water.

General Shadow smirked as he returned back to Octo Valley.

The King of the Octarians was gone.

* * *

"So that's why we need all of us to join forces and make an army to defeat the Octarians," Silver said into the microphone as he stood in front of a crowd as well as a camera. The camera broadcasted Silver to televisions across the cities and the other gymnasiums and auditoriums full of people that couldn't fit in the middle school gym.

"If we defeat the Octarians, we take back Inkopolis and what is rightfully ours!" Silver said determinedly. The crowd cheered enthusiastically. "There will be teams of AT LEAST eight. The leader of each squad will be assigned by each city's representatives, Sheldon, and I."

"Do we need to sign up?" a voice from the crowd questioned.

"...No, you don't need to sign up. All you have to do is be attentive, cooperative with your leaders and me, and put forth your best. The fate of our culture rests in our hands," Silver answered. "Keep any contact with Sheldon, the representatives, or me. We will tell you where to go, or what to do when there's attack."

The crowd cheered again. Silver stepped off the platform at the front of the gym and headed to stand next to Sapphire. "Remember, we need to form as quickly as possible. The Octarians forced us back quickly and powerfully, so we need to be ready if they do again," Sheldon said.

"Thank you, everyone, for fighting with us. The future is always in our hands. We will always prevail," Sheldon signed out. The audience started to talk and chat, voices filling up the gym. Quickly, Sheldon shook Silver's hand and dismissed them to go home. The group thanked Sheldon and exited the building, a renewed sense of determination filling their hearts.

* * *

"You did great up there, Silver," Sapphire's dad told him as he put bowls of food on the kitchen table. "It saw it on TV."

"Thanks!" Silver responded with a smile as he took his seat next to Sapphire. "Oh, and where's Mom?"

"...She's still upstairs, sadly," Michael sighed as he finished readying up dinner for the group. "I even put a plate of food next to her locked door."

Silver took a bite out of his food. "Oh, and Silver, I forgot to tell you earlier, but Sheldon gave me your bike," Sapphire's dad said. "He said he repaired it from being broken down on the beach."

"Oh, okay. Thanks," Silver smiled slightly.

The group became silent as Michael sat down. Dinner passed without anyone saying a word, with nothing on their minds. Especially Aiden and Chloe who glanced nervously at Silver and Sapphire. One by one, everyone finished their plate and put it in the sink and headed upstairs. Gradually, Michael, Sapphire's dad, was the last one left, everyone up in Silver's room.

 _I hope you'll be okay soon, Amy,_ Michael thought as he stood up to wash the empty dishes.

* * *

"So what do we do tomorrow?" Callie asked Silver, stretching her arms and yawning.

"Tomorrow?" Silver asked. "I think we're gonna get ready to go to the SquidForce Islands on Monday."

"Can we play Truth or Dare again?" Callie asked in a hyper attitude.

"No, I'm sleepy," Marie answered. With a little spark of hope, Callie turned to the others if they would play. Unfortunately, everyone seemed tired out and exhausted.

"You guys played Truth or Dare?" Silver raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it was weird," Sean spoke up. "You were unconscious."

"Ohkay..." Silver yawned. Gradually, everyone got up tiredly and went to their guest rooms. Aiden and Chloe stayed.

"...Hey, Silver? Sapphire?" Aiden asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Silver responded. Even Sapphire had a questioning look.

"...We're sorry that we bullied you guys when we were younger," Chloe said after a period of silence. Aiden shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor.

"You guys bullied us?" Sapphire asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Y-Yeah..." Aiden stuttered.

"It's okay," Silver said quickly with a smile. "We forget the bad things that happened in school. Because we still had each other."

Aiden only smiled. The friendship between the two couples began to strengthen. Through the agreement and trust of the two, they all left each other with good relations. Quietly, Aiden slowly closed the bedroom door behind him, heading off to his guest room. Silver and Sapphire crashing into Silver's bed. They both fell quickly asleep, Sapphire cuddled in his arm, Silver's phone still laying in his hand.

* * *

Suddenly, Sapphire sat up from the bed. Her breathing was tense and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Trying to calm down, she rolled up her shirt sleeves and shorts as much as possible.

Of course it was a nightmare. It was the same nightmare she had days ago of Silver dying to those deadly weapons. She finally thought that her chain of nightmares about Silver was gone, but she was wrong.

Brushing her damp hair back with her hand, she turned to look at Silver, still sleeping, his mouth slightly opened. He was breathing quietly and his chest was rising up and down smoothly with each breath. His phone was still in his hand, the earphones still plugged into it. Sapphire smiled. That was all she was thankful for. Silver. Still alive, still with her. She could ask for nothing more.

 _Ring, ring. Ring ring._

The phone started to vibrate, followed by a ringtone from Callie and Marie's music. Suddenly, the screen lighted up, shining brightly in Silver's closed eyes. Groggily, he blinked his eyes open, squinting, for the screen was right in front of him. Sapphire slipped the phone out of his hand and looked at the caller identification.

"...Hey... Give it back..." he said tiredly.

Sapphire gave it back to him, having already answered the call. "It's Sheldon."

"SILVER, SAPPHIRE, GET READY, NOW! THEY STARTED AN INTRUSION THROUGH THE TUNNEL AND THERE'S ONLY A FEW GUARDING THE ENTRANCE. WE NEED HELP, NOW!" Sheldon's voiced yelled statically through the phone.

With that call, Silver's heart skipped a beat. His gaze was out the window, staring off into the distance past the buildings and towers, ink and explosions flying. Without even answering, Silver hung up the call and ran to the closet along with Sapphire. In less than thirty seconds, they had their gear on, and their weapons equipped, Sapphire with her Krak-On Splat Roller and Silver with his Custom Range Blaster. Without hesitating to make sound, they took their phones and ran through the hallways to the guest rooms.

"Guys, wake up! We need to go, now!" Silver ordered, as he broke into their room. Sapphire stayed behind him as she started contacting the groups of forces.

"...Wha..." Aiden shifted from his spot next to Chloe, his eyes peering open a bit.

"...What time is it?" Marie said lazily.

"...It's... Inkopolis News Time..." Callie answered while yawning.

"It's two in the morning," Sean sighed as he rubbed his eyes and stood up.

"...Six more hours..." Callie grumbled and went back to sleep.

"Do you want to be killed by the Octarians?" Silver shot back at her.

"...Yeah, they're so cute..." Callie mumbled dreamily as she pulled a pillow over her head. But at hearing the word "Octarians," everyone sprang up into action and quickly got ready.

Silver smirked confidently, seeing everyone get ready to fight. Then he turned back to the dark hallway to meet his mom, her hands on her hips, an irritated expression on her tired face.

"What's all this noise, Silver?" Amy yelled at her son.

"Mom, I'm sorry, but we have to go. There are Octarians invading the city," Silver tried to explain.

"No! You aren't going anywhere. You're staying here," Amy said sternly.

"Why?!" Silver argued.

"I am not having another family member die today. One is enough, even if it's too much for me to handle," Amy yelled again. "It's too dangerous now. Just leave it up to the adults."

"Listen, Mom," Silver glared at her. "I don't know why you're acting all so crazy when I got home. You've missed your chance to really welcome me back. Because I _am_ the leader of the entire adult and inkling forces. They put _me_ in control. It's my responsibility to lead!" By now, everyone was standing out in the hallway next to Sapphire, silently watching.

"...Go ahead. I don't care if you die or not. I have nothing to feel bad for. You don't even seem sorry that your father died," she cried, running back to her room and slamming the door shut.

Silver let out an frustrated scream and pounded his fists on the wall. Then, he ran downstairs and out the door into the dark lit Takoroka City, followed by everyone else. As he ran towards the north tunnel, where the Octarians were arriving, he could barely hear the pleading and pitiful voice of Sapphire's dad, yelling out the front door to come back.

* * *

"Holy shi-" Chloe looked out to the distance at the edge of the city lines towards the beach. There was an enormous army of Octarians, charging through the small army of Squids. Aiden and Sean looked at her warningly.

"...Shicken. Holy chicken..." Chloe laughed, but got into fighting stance.

Fighting the Octarians was a small group of adult squids who were already awake at night and able to fight. Sheldon was there, but he was hiding in the tall grasses of the beach, readying weapons and contacting more support.

"...Sheldon!" Silver shouted in a whisper. Quickly, the group made their way to cover in the grass near Sheldon.

"Sheldon, I contacted all the other many groups already. They're getting ready to come and help," Sapphire informed, looking at her beacons she set in the grass.

"Oh, and make sure you all are the same silver color," Sheldon said, checking everyone's weapons and hair to be assured. "Now go. We need to stop them from advancing into the city. We don't want what happened in Kettle and Firefin to happen here," Sheldon shooed them away to fight.

As they got nearer to the fighting, the group split up, Silver and Sapphire running a mission together again. Already, there were some adults injured from the ink, due to quick spreading of the mysterious substance the Octarians developed.

Noticing Silver and Sapphire, a band of eight octolings started to advance on them, breaking away from the army. Two threw Splat Bombs at them, another two threw out seekers, and four charged in with their main weapons. Silver was able to shoot one octoling with his blaster before he had to jump out of the way of the bombs. The octoling that Silver shot fell to the ground, clutching his side where he was blasted.

But with that, Silver was caught off guard, and an octoling with an Inkbrush took advantage of it. She was only able to hit Silver once with the brush before Sapphire crushed her with a roller in hand. Then, a .52 Gal Deco started to shoot Sapphire, but only for a short time, for Silver had thrown a Splat Bomb, which exploded and half-killed the octoling fairly quickly.

Another octoling decided to aim for Sapphire, pointing his Splash-O-Matic at her. Grabbing him by the collar, Silver stuck his blaster at the side of his head. Silver pulled the trigger, sending a blast of silver ink, completely injuring the side of his head.

The last four octolings began to charge at the duo. Quickly, before they even landed a shot, Silver and Sapphire transformed into Krakens and immobilized them all, including any other octolings near.

Even with their work, the enormous army if octolings pushed forward past the fighting group. They all charged through the meadows that separated the beach and urban areas. Then, they were all brought to a halt, startled at what was before them.

Standing at the edge of the city lines was an enormous army of geared up inklings and adults, holding various weapons, determined or nervous looks on their faces. Without hesitation, the two large forces clashed at each other and began to fight. Silver and his friends fought alongside the army, defending Takoroka City as if it was Inkopolis.

It was shown in the battling. It was shown in the way the Squids fought against the Octarians. They certainly had faith and trust in themselves to not get overpowered by the slightly larger Octarian army. The valiant feeling it gave the Squids, fighting inklings alongside adults. This definitely showed the passed on tradition of battle and courage.

Slowly but surely, the Octarian army began to retreat back to the beach, not even entering into the city itself. Bullets and bombs colored of silver and dark fuchsia were traded back and forth between the two groups as the Squids pushed back the Octarians. Inkzookas fired, Inkstrikes destroyed, Killer Wails echoed, and Krakens afflicted each side.

Eventually, the Octarians were forced to recede back into the tunnel all the way to Kettle City, for they did not bring any deadly weapons that would immediately kill beings. A single cheer came from the middle of the group of battle-worn squids, which erupted into a louder, more spirited cheer of vitality. Silver hugged Sapphire, smiling brightly.

"This is one of many battles we win to reconquer Inkopolis!" Silver cupped his hands and said to the crowd. A cheer of courage and determination followed as the army chanted, "For Inkopolis!"

All was too similar as when they were fighting. The same determination, the same courage. The same will to fight and defend what was rightfully theirs. This is most likely why they won. Their fighting spirit helped them to push forward and carry on. Even if they were injured, it didn't stop them from exerting their very best. Soon, the groups of forced dispersed back into Inkopolis, still under the dark night sky.

* * *

"...Shh... Thalia... It's okay," an octoling boy tried to comfort her. He glanced to his side, where an octoling girl sat, her head in her knees, her back against the wall of a building.

"Thalia, it's okay. We got through the army surge in Takoroka Beach. Now were here. All we have to do is follow those octoling agents headed to the SquidForce Islands, and then go to Rockenburg City," the boy said to her while keeping his hand on his ink gun. "We can live in the mountains where no one will see us."

"...He choked me..." Thalia sniffled as she talked, her voice wobbly as she was crying. "And he said he exiled me out of the Octarian nation... I've been thinking wrong about who General Shadow really was."

"Thalia, it's okay," he repeated. "I hate him too. I never liked that we had to fight them. That Splatfest night was horrible... I couldn't stand trying to spreading the substance around. I never wanted to be part of his plan."

"...Thanks for being with me, Phoenix," Thalia hugged him. "You mean so much to me..." she said.

"...O-Okay..." Phoenix stuttered, for he wasn't used to closeness and attachment with someone else. Immediately, he blushed, his face turning slightly red.

"Come on, Thalia," Phoenix said, "Let's sneak on the boat before they leave."

And with that, the two weary octolings made their way to the southern part of the city, in hopes of sneaking alongside some Octarians planning to verture deeper into the islands. They felt invisible. The Octarians didn't accept them, the Squids wanted them dead. They knew no one was watching.

Or so they thought.

Their dark fuchsia tentacle hair and their recognizable armor was almost barely seen from the eyes of Silver and Sapphire.

* * *

"Why is no one excited that we won?" Callie asked, wondering why the group wasn't in high spirits.

"I'm tired," Marie answered while walking back wih the group to Silver's house.

"I'm going back to sleep. It's still five in the morning," Chloe added, stretching her arms out and yawning.

"Aww, come on," Callie pouted as she stuck her gun in her pocket.

Silver and Sapphire lingered slowly behind the group, staying silent. They were also tired, Silver having been injured a tiny bit. Neither of them wanted to return home, Silver especially. He was to tired and angry at his mother to face what she would say when he came back. It was why Silver somewhat wished that the battle was longer.

Finally, the group was in front of Silver's house. Before turning back to the house, Silver and Sapphire saw a glimpse of shiny armor reflecting the light off of a streetlight, and dark fuchsia hair out of the corners of their eyes. Suddenly, they became alert and curious, knowing that that was definitely an octoling. Silver and Sapphire looked at each other before sprinting back into the house.

"Guys," Silver said in a loud voice. "If our parents wake up, can you tell them that we left to go search for Octarians? Sapphire and I need to go right now."

"Sure," Aiden said tiredly. "Why? Did you see any?"

"We feel like we did. We just want to make sure," Sapphire answered. Alongside Silver, she bolted into Silver's room, packed a slight backpack and headed back out.

"Do you want us to come?" Sean questioned to be sure.

"No, we're fine. I think I only saw one," Silver responded, slinging his backpack over his shoulders. "There's a chance that we might search the other islands, so tell them when they wake up."

"Okay," Aiden yawned. "I guess this is goodbye for now..."

"Yeah, and I'll see you guys soon," Silver said as he and Sapphire headed to the garage where his repaired Mach Bike was parked.

Soon, Silver and Sapphire were on the dimly-lit roads of Takoroka City in pursuit of the probable shady Octarians. With their weapons in hand and their small backpacks, they set off into the dark Sunday morning searching around the city for any shadowy, runaway octolings.

* * *

 **I'M FINISHED WITH THIS PART. YEAAHHH!**

 **I bet you guys are yelling at me trying to hurry up, but I finished this part.**

 **A lot happened in this part. The unification of the Squid forces, the conflict between DJ Octavio and General Shadow,** **a little background with Silver, Sapphire, Aiden, and Chloe, and all the rest.**

 **I looked back at the statistics of my other parts and I question myself, "What happened?" There's like two times the amount of reads in chapter nine than chapter eight, and even less in the earlier chapters. Are you guys skipping chapters? I don't want you guys to skip chapters. PLEASE DON'T SKIP CHAPTERS. AHHHHHHSJDIAOKDJD**

 **And I realized I've been spelling Aiden wrong. I intentionally wanted it to be Aidan, but it ended up being Aiden. From the next chapter on, he will be called Aidan.**

 **Do you guys like the two new characters? Thalia and Phoenix? I wanted to give these octolings a memorable name because they will play an important role in the story.**

 **Again, sorry for the long wait. The first week without updating, I had to turn in a song I had to write. The second week, I procrastinated and played Splatoon all weekend. This week was the first time in a long time where I actually sat down and wrote seriously. Well, I hope I'll see you guys in the next chapter of this book, possibly next weekend.**

 **Vote if you love, share if you care, and comment so I can see you guys' opinions and what you think of the story. See you guys later!**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	12. Chapter 11: Abused Octolings

In an instant, Sapphire's eyes snapped open. Her deep breathing turned into short intakes of air, cold sweat running down her forehead and neck. Gradually, her surroundings all came back to her. Silver's arm slung around her shoulders, her head nestled under his chin, the luggage and packaging all around them, and Silver's bike leaning against the wall.

Although she cursed in her mind, she was relieved to see Silver still next to her. It seemed to her that the realistic dream or Silver being killed was recurring more every night. She absolutely hated it, just as she hated seeing Silver unconscious for many days after escaping Inkopolis.

Then, Sapphire froze as she felt Silver shifting over in his sleep. His eyes started to flutter open, peering around. Noticing his arm felt different, he ran his other hand across his bicep and forearm, feeling the moisture of it. He quickly sat up.

"...Sapphire, are you sweating?" Silver asked, still tired.

Sapphire groaned. "N-no."

Silver sighed and flicked her head. "No, you are sweating. Why?"

"Because I got bad dreams," she canceled her act and made her voice smaller as she rubbed the spot where Silver flicked her.

"Is it about me dying again?" Silver assumed as he stroked the back of his hand on her sweaty neck and forehead.

"...Yeah..." she said quietly.

"Look, Sapphire," Silver looked into her eyes as he cupped her cheek. "I'm here. I'll always be here to help you. I won't ever leave you."

"Really, Silver?" Sapphire responded. "Thanks, but you should at least think about yourself sometimes. You always think for the good of others, why not think for the good of yourself, since you never do?"

"...huh?" Silver asked dumbly.

Sapphire took his right hand and raised it as she grinned. "Say it after me: I, Silver, will always be arrogant, self-centered, and think for the well-being of myself and not others."

"...Wait, why?" Silver questioned.

"Just do it," Sapphire smirked as she nudged his elbow.

Silver sighed. "...I, Silver, will always be arrogant, self-centered, and think for the well-being of myself and not others..." he muttered as quickly as he could.

"Hahaha, okay," Sapphire laughed and giggled. "I love you, Silver," Sapphire smiled as she kissed him slightly on the lips.

"...Love you too..." Silver said with a confused smile.

Currently, the duo was sleeping on a ferry that would take them to Zink Island. They had managed to find the nearest and fastest boat ride to Zink, for they saw a stolen yacht that were boarded last by two octolings. In their perspective, the two last octolings seemed to be sneaking in. The ferry was already full, but they offered that they could ride in the cargo section of it.

The ferry would eventually arrive at Zink Island, in about two hours. Zink Island was directly south of Takoroka Island, but was about forty miles away. Zink Island's main specialty was aerial and aquatic transportation and navigation, unlike Kettle City, for they both specialized in transportation. Kettle City developed the automobile and the kettle spawn system and other forms of teleportation while Zink Island developed the boat and the aircraft, and had an airport.

From Aidan, Silver also learned that Zink Island was where they took hospital patients and injured fighters from the night of Splatfest. This included Hank, Carter, and Sophia, who were transported by helicopter.

"Thank you for sailing with ZinkAqua. We hope you enjoy your stay in Zink Island and stay fresh!" a voice over the intercom sounded throughout the whole ferry as it slowed to a halt on the docks of Zink Island.

"Oh, yay. We're here," Sapphire stood up and began to stretch.

"Yup, and we gotta keep following them. We can't lose them," Silver said, picking up his backpack and rolling his Mach Bike up the ramp to the gradually crowding ferry deck.

"Do you have your beacon thingy?" Sapphire asked as she pulled out and held out a capsule, indented in the middle.

"Yeah. I have a few in my pocket," Silver responded as he and Sapphire followed the crowd off the boat and onto Zink Island.

Zink Island was an attractive island, seeming like more of a resort than an island specializing in transportation. The beach surrounded the island, one side urban, and the other side covered with forests. The city was bustling with economy and slight industry, mostly commerce. There were amusement parks located all around the city, and landmarks everywhere.

But the oceanfront and the boardwalk were less crowded of people and cars, for it was morning. The beaches were relatively clean, yet still a little unclean. The rising sun was glittering all on the calm waves of the ocean.

Silver and Sapphire breathed in the fresh air as they stepped off the ferry and onto the dock.

"It's so beautiful..." Sapphire looked down at the beach.

"No, I think Rockenburg is prettier," Silver said. "I've been there once on a vacation with my parents. The scenery was much better, and it was less urban and commercial."

"Really? Can you take me there?" Sapphire asked him with a bright expression.

"Well, we'll probably be there if we have to continue searching for those Octarians," Silver answered with a smirk.

"Oh, right," Sapphire said, realizing they had to return to the mission. Soon, they began searching through the relatively medium-sized city.

* * *

It was now about nine at night, and Silver and Sapphire rested in a small hotel room. They had paid for a one-night stay in a hotel next to the beach and the port and docks. Or at least they would have paid if one of the staff members didn't recognize them as the heroes of Inkopolis. Their sweaty clothes were thrown on the side of a bed. The couple were resting against the wall, side-by-side in their undershirts and shorts, eating food out of a bowl. The brightness of the television shined in their tired eyes as they slowly ate.

"I still can't believe you thought that looking in the amusement parks was a good idea..." Sapphire giggled as she picked her food up with chopsticks.

"Well, it's possible that they could have hidden out there," Silver replied.

"Well, you wanted to ride on one of the rides. You thought that they could have been hiding in the middle of an inkslide," Sapphire burst out laughing, remembering what he said earlier.

"...I was tired, okay?" Silver responded grumpily as he took another bite of his food.

"Sure," Sapphire snickered.

After a few minutes, she shut off the TV and turned to Silver to say something, but then, his phone started to vibrate and ring.

"Who is that?" Sapphire questioned as they looked at the caller ID.

"...shh for a minute. It's my mom," Silver put a finger to his lips as he answered the call and put the phone to his ears.

All Sapphire did was stay quiet and listen to Silver's mother yelling through the phone. She shuddered, for his call was on the lowest volume and off speaker phone. If Amy was yelling that loud, she must have been really upset. On the other hand, though, Silver never spoke a word. He still listened to his mother with that blank emotionless expression on his face. When his mother finished, he hung up quietly.

"..." Silver didn't say a word.

"...Silver. It's gonna be alright," Sapphire took his hand in hers and attempted to make him feel better.

"...I don't know..." he sighed quietly. "...My mom used to be cheerful, caring... And now, she can't handle my dad dying, and she's taking her anger out on me..."

"Silver... It'll all be over soon. It'll all return back to how it was..." Sapphire said as she turned off the television. She put her empty bowl of food on a desk next to the bed and snuggled up against Silver.

"..." Silver said nothing. Instead, he shut off the lights and fell asleep. All he wanted was to clear his mind. And maybe, possibly, forget all the troubles he encountered so far.

But of course, they were in the midst of a new war between the Squids and Octarians. Nothing could be forgotten. Especially when memories of fighting and potential death lingered in their minds.

* * *

"No, we have to leave tomorrow!" a muffled voice yelled quietly. We need to get to Rockenburg as fast as we can."

"Can we just rest for a bit more?" another voice whined slightly louder.

"No, and be quiet. You might wake up all the neighbors," the first voice shushed.

Right now, Silver and Sapphire were still on their bed, but their ears pressed against the wall. They had awoken from people in the next hotel room yelling and packing.

"Come on. We need to set up base in the mountains in Rockenburg. Then we'll be able to hack into Tentatique's technologic consoles. We'll be able to fight them easily from there," a voice said quietly, to which Silver and Sapphire barely heard. Sapphire's eyes widened at those words.

"Yeah, and we can sleep on the airplane," another, different voice said.

"No doubt, they're Octarians," Silver whispered, taking note that they would be escaping on an airplane. "Come on. We're gonna go stop them," he said quietly as he got out of bed.

"But I'm tired..." Sapphire responded wearily. "We only slept a few hours yesterday, and two hours today!"

"This may be our only chance to stop them. If what they said was true, their plan could actually work," Silver said, packing his small backpack as well as Sapphire's.

"All right..." Sapphire sighed as she got out of bed. Quickly, they both put on their gear and got ready. Then, they heard a door slam shut in the hallway, followed by light, running feet.

"Shoot, we need to go, now!" Silver said, slinging his backpack on his shoulders quickly and heading to the door.

"Mmmf..." Sapphire tried to say something, but she had a piece of bread in her mouth. She quickly threw a shirt over her black undershirt, grabbed her backpack, and followed Silver to the door.

As they stepped out of their hotel door, they barely caught a glimpse of feet turning the corner to the elevator. Silver took Sapphire's hand and pulled her out of the room, slammed the door, and ran after the Octarians.

Unfortunately, as they rounded the corner, the elevator door shut, giving them one last, short glimpse of the dark fuchsia-colored Octarian hair. Cursing, Silver bolted down the staircase to the lobby, followed by Sapphire. Immediately, he ran to the receptionist at the counter.

"Hey, did you see a group of Octarians check out of here?" Silver questioned him.

"What Octarians? Nope, they we're a bunch of inklings with pink hair," the receptionist said in a wavy voice as he took another sip out of his beer bottle.

"Dammit, you're drunk!" Sapphire spoke up and pulled Silver away from the counter. The receptionist mumbled and resumed playing Squid Jump on his phone. Before they exited the lobby, Silver put their room key and a note on the other side of the counter for another employee to look at. The note gave their city and read to drop any stuff they left behind at a post office.

"Come on!" Sapphire yelled. "You didn't wake me up to talk to drunk people!" Sapphire took his hand and bolted out the door into the dimly lit Zink Island night, headed to the airport on Silver's bike.

They quickly headed on, not knowing of the two octolings following them. They were running as quickly as they possibly could, because they had to follow the other group of octolings onto the aiplane. Phoenix took Thalia's hand as they ran through the streets of Zink Island.

* * *

The sunlight of the still rising sun shined through the airplane windows and onto Silver's face. It was now Monday early morning, the sun still peeking out from behind the horizon, Silver still asleep. The plane was now dipping down to land on the Inkline City airport.

A sneaky Sapphire had managed to unbuckle Silver's seatbelt while he was still asleep. Holding in her laughter, she sat tight as the plane landed on the runway, shaking the entire, now grounded, vehicle. Because of the force, and no seatbelts, Silver involuntarily stood up and banged his head on the ceiling, fell face-forward on the seat in front of him, and slowly sank to the ground, clutching his head in pain.

"Hahaha, that's a great way to wake up," Sapphire burst out laughing, even managing to get other around them to laugh.

"Ughh, Sapphire!" Silver lunged at her, but she leaned back into the seat, sending him flying into the aisle, causing everyone else to burst into hearty laughter.

"The aircraft has now arrived to a complete stop, and you are now able to remove your seat belts," a voice said over an intercom. Everyone chuckled again, seeing Silver already out of his seat. "Enjoy your stay at Inkline City, and thanks for flying with ZinkAir!" the voice over the intercom said.

"Come on, Silver," Sapphire pulled him up from the floor and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek while she handed him his bag.

Silver sighed, following his girlfriend out of the plane and into the airport. He could always get mad at Sapphire, but he could never beat her up because he was mad at her.

Soon, they were out of the airplane and walking swiftly through the airport and passing by the security. Though, before the security checkpoints, there were many other passageways leading to other branches of the airport. Inkline City was known mainly for producing goods and distributing them to other cities. So, there were many airplanes designed for carrying cargo and supplies to places.

Silver and Sapphire began wandering through the airport in search of the group of octolings who had sneaked through all the security. Inkline Airport wasn't as busy as Zink Airport, but there were still people roaming around.

"Hey, Silver," Sapphire got his attention. "Aren't Hank and those two other kids in this city's hospital?"

Silver paused for a minute. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Can you just call Hank to tell him that we couldn't visit and best wishes for them to heal soon? I feel like we're almost about to catch them."

"It won't take long, Silver. Their hospital is less than a mile away from the airport," Sapphire responded.

"Oh, okay. Just thirty minutes, right?" Silver asked one more question.

"Yup," Sapphire said. In no time, they were out of the airport and taking a taxi to the nearest hospital.

As they rode in the taxi through Inkline City, they saw that there were many factories and shopping centers everywhere. The residential places were mainly apartments or really small houses. The more wealthy people seemed to live in larger, more expensive houses, away from all the industrial and commercial areas of the city.

With the taxi gradually coming to a stop, the couple stepped out to a complex of buildings. A sign above the main entrance read "Inkline Hospital." From there, the receptionist was at her desk which was really far from the entrance. The lobby was large, and it included a waiting area, a gift shop, and a booth that sold food.

Quickly, Silver and Sapphire got to the reception desk. "Are there patients here with the names of... Carter and Sophia?" Silver requested while inking if the two children ever told their last names.

"Sir, there are a handful of people here named Carter. And a few named Sophia. It would take a long time to find out the people you are looking for if you don't know their last names," the receptionist answered with an apologetic expression.

Sapphire stepped up. "Um, what about Carter and Sophia under guardian: Hank? Transferred from Inkopolis City?"

The receptionist seemed to look through her computer files. "Yup, we have them. They're on the seventh floor in Room 7.23," she informed with a slight and cheerful smile.

"Okay, thanks," Silver said as he and Sapphire headed to the elevators to get to the two children's room.

* * *

"Already more than forty percent of the patients here are from the Inkopolis incident?" Silver questioned Hank as he and Sapphire looked over at the two children, Carter and Sophia, in a deep sleep in their separate hospital beds. Carter had his whole head wrapped with bandages.

"Not to mention all the others who died in the collapsing of Inkopolis Tower and the plaza fire," Hank said bluntly. Silver shut himself up. "But anyway, it could be worse, right?"

"...I already feel like it's at its worst," Sapphire said quietly. "They have octolings running through the islands, and they've forced themselves through Kettle City. I feel like their plan is already halfway in effect, whatever it is."

With Sapphire's comment, no one really knew what to say. It was all halfway true. The Octarians were doing a good job of whatever plan they had. Taking control of all of Inkopolis and Kettle City, and maybe even Firefin Town. Even if they were stopped at Takoroka, and that the Squids had a formidable army, they were still able to have a group of octolings sneak through.

"You both should get back to the mission you're doing. I'll still be here with Carter and Sophia," Hank allowed them.

"Okay, just tell them that Silver and Sapphire wished them best wishes," Sapphire said, stroking the tops of their heads.

"Sure thing. And we're all counting in you. You guys can do it," Hank gave his last words of encouragement and gave them a thumbs up. Silver and Sapphire smiled and continued to stay determined as they headed back to the airport.

* * *

"ONE OF YOU CHILDREN JUST TELL ME WHERE SILVER IS!" Silver's mom, Amy, yelled at the remaining people back at Takoroka. "Because Silver won't answer me!"

Callie, Marie, Aidan, Chloe, and Sean only stayed silent as they sat in Silver's bedroom.

Nervously, Chloe spoke up. "Miss, Sapphire texted me a few hours ago and told me that she and Silver were on their way to Zekkori City."

"Zekkori?! Of all places, THAT'S where they're going? All they're gonna do is buy clothes!" Amy yelled in frustration.

"Miss, I know it's a clothing district but-" Chloe tried to explain, but Amy interrupted.

"No. They're gonna waste their time doing whatever they want to do!" Amy snapped at her.

"...You can't get mad at us for doing nothing! All we ever did was be here and deal with your overreactions," Aidan took a chance and stood up to Silver's mom for unnecessarily yelling at his girlfriend.

Before Amy could yell back at Aidan, Sapphire's dad, Michael, entered the room.

"Amy, I'm tired of hearing you yell at the children from all the way from our room. Can you just be considerate of them for once?" Michael looked at her with warning eyes,

"But they let Silver go fight!" Amy protested.

"Amy, it's not them. Silver chose to do it himself. It's his choice. Not theirs," Michael explained. "Susan and I told Sapphire that she was an adult now, and she could do whatever she wanted when she left to Inkopolis. And I'm pretty sure you and Samuel told Silver that too."

Amy froze. At Michael's words, she realized that she did tell Silver that he was free to live the way he wanted. To make his own choices. To choose his path in life. She and Samuel had agreed on it. Frustrated even more, she wrapped her arms around Michael and cried into his shoulder. The others watched on confused.

"Amy, it's all in your head. You're just too traumatized by losing Samuel," Michael caressed the back of her head.

"I'm sorry, Michael... I really am..." Amy said, seemed to calm down a bit.

"...shh... It'll all be okay..." Michael cooed, still having Amy wrapped around him. Casually, he gave Amy a slight kiss on her lips and guided her out of the room, forgetting about the others in Silver's room.

When they left, they all were speechless. No one said a word; they all stared blankly at the open door. Quietly, Chloe stood up to close the door. Slowly, she turned around to the rest.

"...D-did you guys just see..." she stuttered.

"...Sapphire's dad kissed Silver's mom..." Marie said quietly.

"...And not to mention, they sleep in the same room..." Sean added slowly.

The group looked among each other. Immediately, they got on their phones, texting Silver and Sapphire what happened.

* * *

"Hey, Silver?" Sapphire asked him as they walked through the streets of Zekkori City, which were lined with clothing boutiques and shops.

"Y-Yeah?" Silver said a bit irritatedly as he tried to ignore the constant vibrating of his phone in his pockets.

"Um, you should check your phone," Sapphire said quietly as she looked through the windows of the shops at intricate clothing. Then, her phone started to constantly vibrate as well.

Silver and Sapphire sighed as they stopped walking to take a look at their messages.

"...Something about your dad kissing my mom?" Silver raised an eyebrow.

"...They said that your mom sleeps in the same room as your dad..." Sapphire murmured as she scanned through the group text with the Squid Sisters, Aidan, Chloe, Hank, and Sean. The two looked at each other.

"I bet they're kidding. They're just trying to have fun, I guess," Silver shoved his phone back into his pockets.

Sapphire chuckled a bit. "So why do you think the octolings are here?" she asked as she continued to look through the windows of boutiques.

"Well they should be running out of supplies!" Silver exclaimed. "They need to restock sometime, wouldn't they?"

"No," Sapphire said sarcastically as she held Silver's hand and began to search the shopping centers for octolings.

* * *

"I'm tired. I don't think that they're here, Silver," Sapphire muttered as she leaned on Silver as they walked through the docks, the sound of lapping water echoing.

"I promise, if we don't find anything in six hours, we'll go sleep and rest at the next city, HakoForge Base, for a day and leave on Wednesday," Silver wrapped his arm slightly around her while still keeping a lookout.

"And how far away is that?" Sapphire grumbled.

"Actually, not that far, unlike the other ones. We're on the south part of Zekkori City, and it's about a thirty minute to an hour boat ride. I'm sure they'll let us ride, since Sheldon told others what our plan was," Silver explained while attempting to point at a small, but visible island in the distance.

"Oh, cool." Sapphire said as she and and Silver looked out at the distant island. The island had a port for ships and military vehicles. The base itself seemed to be surrounded by a wall.

Suddenly, the two felt themselves collide with another object. Stumbling back, Silver and Sapphire regained their balance and looked ahead of them. In front of them were two heavily dressed people. It looked like they bumped into Silver and Sapphire while they were walking. Wit an apologetic face, Silver stuck out his hand, and offered help for them to get back up.

Unaware of who it was, the first person accepted Silver's help and took his hand. As Silver pulled him up, his big hat fell off. And with that the person's dark fuchsia colored hair became visible. Silver's and Sapphire's eyes widened as they saw the faces of two octolings.

Scrambling, the other octoling tried to get up on her feet and run away, but Sapphire was quicker. Swiftly, she grabbed the other octoling by the arms. Silver fully tightened his grip on the octoling in front of him and kept him from escaping.

"Hey! Let go! Please!" the boy octoling's voice cried out.

"Please!" the girl octoling cried out as well.

With all their might, Silver and Sapphire threw them onto some random boat parked in the pier. While Sapphire stayed to guard, Silver ran to the boat-keeper and requested permission to use the boat. Recognizing Silver as the leader of the newly-formed squid army, the boat-keeper lent Silver the corresponding boat keys. Giving thanks, Silver ran quickly back to the boat Sapphire and the other two octolings were on.

Silver jammed the keys in its keyhole and started the boat. The sound of its motor started to run. As he tried to quickly figure out how to drive a boat, Sapphire uneasily guarded the two octolings from trying to escape the boat back onto the docks of Zekkori City.

"No, please! You don't understand!" the octoling boy tried to explain.

"Nope. We're taking you to HakoForge Base," Silver said bluntly as he sped up the boat.

"Please! We did nothing wrong!" the girl said.

"..." Sapphire couldn't say anything, but still kept her guard on them at the back of the boat.

In no time, Silver and Sapphire and the two octolings were on the waters to HakoForge Base. The sound of rushing water was all around them, though, they could only see the darkness of the water, for it had become nighttime. Even so, the moon near the horizon was shining on the dark waters, casting an illuminating glow around the slight waves. As the island with the barricaded base loomed near, the two octolings started to plead.

"Please, can you listen for a moment?" the octoling boy asked, his voice slightly trembling.

"...Okay..." Silver and Sapphire sighed, giving them a deserved chance.

The octoling boy sat down on one of the chairs in the boat and put his hands on his knees. He muttered something very unexpected. Looking up at Silver with hopeful eyes, he took the octoling girl's hand and started to speak.

"...Can you please save us?" he asked quietly. The girl nodded after him.

Taken aback by what he requested, Silver and Sapphire took a while to speak again.

"...Save? You?" Sapphire questioned them.

Silver seemed confused. "First of all, can you tell us your names?"

"My name is Phoenix," the octoling boy pointed to himself, "and this is Thalia," he introduced the octoling girl by glancing at her with a tired grin. Thalia waved slightly at Silver and Sapphire,

"Phoenix and Thalia..." Silver said to himself. Truthfully, he thought they were beautiful and powerful names. He slowed the boat to a stop in the water and let the octolings talk.

"...So... I-I was exiled from the Octarian nation... I don't know... I hated fighting against you..."Thalia stuttered out quietly, though there was a hint of determination in her voice.

"Exiled?!" Sapphire blurted out. "They do that?"

"Why did you hate fighting against us?" Silver questioned as he crossed his arms.

"There are many Octarians who hate fighting against you. All they want is peace. But instead, they were forced to fight by the authority. Do you know why some battles of you against a group are easy? It's because most of them don't put their full effort into battling. I can see they hesitate when they try to fight squids," Phoenix explained.

"...Wow..." Sapphire murmured.

"Can you tell us what happened? What happened to you guys? Maybe we could... help..." Silver began to lighten up a bit.

"...okay..." Thalia sighed. "I remember when I first saw Callie and Marie. Their grandfather Captain Cuttlefish was killed by another Octarian who came before me. I was just sent there to kill Callie and Marie when they went to visit their dead grandfather. But then I couldn't get myself to kill them. I lied to General Shadow that I killed them."

"Wait, who's General Shadow?" Silver interrupted.

"He's second in command," Phoenix explained. "After DJ Octavio."

"I had to face General Shadow. He abused me and hurt me and exiled me." Tears started to form in the corners of Thalia's eyes. "He kicked me out, and Phoenix joined me."

"...I'm sorry to hear that..." Sapphire said sadly. Silver stayed silent, but had a seemingly sad expression.

"We were trailing behind a group of Octarians who were going to Tentatique and Rockenburg. We were planning that we hid in the mountains so you guys wouldn't... Kill us..." Phoenix said slowly.

"Don't worry. We won't kill you, now that I understand," Silver had a warm smile on his face. He began to slowly accelerate the boat and began to drive it to HakoForge Base. "It must be harsh. Under all that pressure."

"Where are you taking us?" Thalia asked Silver nervously.

"HakoForge Base. I'll tell them not to imprison you," Silver said as he neared the outside port for commercial boats.

"You have the power to do that?" Phoenix questioned unbelievably.

"Trust me, he has all the power in the world," Sapphire giggled.

And with that, the four landed on the the island of HakoForge Base. It was really dark, but they were able to find their way to the gate entrance. Silver had kept his word and requested not to have the octolings arrested. Passing through all the security, the four found a relatively decent place to rest. Though, not knowing in the future, their newfound, basic knowledge of the Octarians could lead to both fortunate and critical events.

* * *

 **I'm done.**

 **I'm finished.**

 **I'm sorry.**

 **It's early Wednesday morning while I'm writing this when I should be getting sleep for school tomorrow. I'm a little sick, I have music to practice, a band concert a few hours ago, and a lot of irrelevant stuff.**

 **But I'm back. :) You can beat me up. I'm late on this chapter. Next chapter, they're gonna learn more things about Phoenix and Thalia and maybe search for the group of other octolings headed for Tentatique.**

 **Updates will return to normal. About one or two weeks between each chapter. I won't be busy this Christmas break. All I have to do are high school applications, and play Undertale, so I have plenty of time to write. I'll try not to procrastinate again. ^_^**

 **Here's a REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION. It pertains to the near ending of the story.**

 **...**

 **Do you all want a happy ending, or a sad ending? Let me just say, that there is a more likely chance of a sequel for this book if you all choose he sad ending. (Now having said that, you all will pick the sad ending. Dang it.)**

 **But choose either happy or sad. PLEASE COMMENT WHAT YOU PREFER. THIS IS CRUCIAL TO THE PLOT OF THE STORY. ALL YOU NONCOMMENTERS READING MY BOOK, YOU CAN POSSIBLY CHANGE THE BOOK'S ENDING WITH A SINGLE COMMENT.**

 **PLEASEH COMMENTEH YOUR PREFERENCEH** **.**

 **NEVER MIND. THE WATTPAD PEOPLES HAVE VOTED.**

 **THIS STORY WILL HAVE A SAD, CLIFFHANGER ENDING.**

 **Thus, book 2 will be in the works. ^_^**

 **~Aura-kun**


	13. Chapter 12: The Secret of CI-220

"Yup. I want to tell you all. We need to stop General Shadow and save all the Octarians who are unwilling to fight," Phoenix said determinedly. He sat upright in his seat and looked around to everyone else.

All of the everyone around the table nodded with a smile. They had liked the two new octolings' sense of determination and confidence.

Silver, Sapphire, Phoenix, and Thalia were seated around a conference table in an underground room deep inside HakoForge Base. Sheldon and some authorities of the base were gathered as well. But the new appearance of the octoling refugees was something to see.

Phoenix was still in his octoling armor which he wore over the top half of his body. Though, only that and his hair identified him as an octoling. He had slightly colored skin, and red-colored eyes. On his feet, he had a pair of boots instead of the octoling boots. His octoling goggles were removed and his hair was fully uncovered. His hair was pulled to the back, except it wasn't tied up, and with one bang of hair in the front. Even though his hair was dark fuchsia, there was a highlight of fiery red.

Thalia had her hair falling in the back, but with two pigtail-like styles in the front. She had her octoling armor on, and was similarly dressed like Phoenix. Her skin was slightly paler than Phoenix's, and she had blue-colored eyes. Electric blue highlights accented her generic octoling hair.

"Hey, why do guys have highlights in your hair?" Sapphire questioned, adjusting her position in her chair. "I didn't see those yesterday."

"We do?" Phoenix said. "I don't know. I'll look in the mirror later. And not to mention, I feel different than I was yesterday."

"Really?! What color are those highlights?" Thalia asked, her bright, blue eyes shining.

"Blue," Silver said with a smirk.

"Oh, that's the same color as my eyes," she said as she looked at Phoenix. "I don't get how I didn't see your hair until now," Thalia giggled as she played with her Octoshot.

"What are they?" Phoenix asked Thalia.

"A really vibrant red," Thalia said excitedly. "Hey, Phoenix, what does 'vibrant' mean?"

Phoenix sighed. "Lively. So my hair is really red?"

"Yup, it's so cute!" Thalia blushed as she said it. Phoenix smiled warmly.

"Guys, we need to discuss the information you have," Sheldon said with a slight smile, sitting with leaders of other groups of the Squid army. "You seem to know a lot. Maybe you should start off by introducing yourselves."

"Okay," Phoenix took a deep breath. "My name is Phoenix, and I'm fourteen years old."

"And I'm Thalia," Thalia smiled. "I'm thirteen years old."

"Thirteen?!" a numerous amount of members gasped, surprised. "Isn't it fourteen for both inkling AND octoling?" a random person asked. Many others nodded, looking for a response.

"It's a long story-" Phoenix said before he was interrupted.

"Well, tell us all of it!" a member said. Everyone else nodded and started to listen intently.

"Well, okay," Phoenix started. "It was about a month ago. I was thirteen, and Thalia was still twelve. We were with our families in our small homes located in Octo Valley. As always rules were strict there, and it was always like a dictatorship. During that week, I was to turn thirteen the next day, and Thalia was supposed to turn thirteen the day after that."

"Hey, Phoenix, is today Tuesday?" Thalia asked with the most innocent of smiles.

Phoenix sighed and smiled back. "Yeah, it's Tuesday." The others smirked at Thalia.

"But on my fourteenth birthday, the day before Thalia's birthday when I turned into a human, General Octavian Shadow had sent out officials to take five twelve-year-olds, five thirteen-year-olds, and five fourteen-year-olds to be tested at the lab deep in Octo Valley," Phoenix explained.

"Who is General Octavian Shadow?" a leader of another branch asked aloud.

"General Shadow is the general of the Octarian army. He's almost equal in power to DJ Octavio," Silver answered quickly.

"And what do you mean 'tested'?" Sheldon asked slowly with curiosity.

Phoenix looked nervousw and Thalia grew unusually quiet after Sheldon asked that. "An official took five fourteen-year-olds from the fighting community in Octo Valley. Another official took five thirteen-year-olds from another community. The last official took five twelve-year-olds from the community Thalia and I were living in."

Then the whole meeting room became deadly silent. "At random, the official went into houses searching for five twelve-year-olds. ...E-Eventually, he came to our house. But because T-Thalia wasn't thirteen yet, the official took her. Since our families were poor, her and my family lived in the same medium sized house, and we were all fighting to get her back."

Thalia had a blank expression on her face as Phoenix kept explaining. "I remember running up the stairs and locking m-myself in our room. My mom told me that I was crying for the whole day."

Everyone in the room had a look of pity. The Octarians weren't how they imagined, for there were many people who were forced to do things.

Phoenix said quietly, "Thalia, it's your turn."

When Thalia sat up, everyone looked at her, ready to listen. "They took me along with four other octolings. We were all still in our octopus form, for we hadn't turned fourteen yet. Soon, that day, we were taken to the deep space of the Octo Valley. There, t-they locked us up in cells, all surrounding a test table where we would be 'tested'."

Silver and Sapphire could see through Thalia. They were saddened, seeing the fear she had through her uplifting personality. "...I-I don't know... It's kind of harsh to eesee an octoling through all that process... ...They took in this fourteen-year old girl and boy. They were trying to escape from them, but they had failed. Even punching them and trying to unlock us and free us. The scientists had strapped them on the test table and... injected them with a liquid..."

Thalia had a few tears running from her eye. "One by one, they were all affected horribly in some way..."

"Like what?" a member asked randomly.

"...Like... E-Exploding into ink without respawning... Their bodies being distorted... Or even dying instantly..." Thalia said in a whisper.

"Ohhhhkay... Nevermind..." the member kept quiet, not wanting to hear any more of the cruel ways that the octolings died.

"...I was the last one. They said, 'test two-twenty' and forced me on the table. Being in my octopus form, I couldn't really cower into a smaller being..." Thalia said. Soon, she began to stutter and cry. "They spilled some of the solution on me. And immediately, I-I felt pain. I felt myself grow instantly, my head and my body sharply hurting." Thalia began to stretch her body as she cringed at remembering the pain. "I felt woozy and unconscious, but then they took an ink gun and shot me once. A-And it hurt. Just like those real, old guns that they have..."

"What happened from there?" Sapphire asked, shifting in her seat.

"They tested my body again, and they called it, 'CI-220'." Thalia answered.

"What does that mean?" Sheldon asked.

"Corruption of Ink, Test 220. CI-220," Phoenix explained bluntly.

"Corruption of Ink?" Silver murmured. "This really has been the corruption of ink. We're all infected by it, and we get injured by ink..." Silver thought to himself for a moment. "Do you know a way to stop it?"

"Almost there..." Thalia sighed. "...When they were finished, they threw me outside on the platform street. Since I had turned into my human form, I had no clothing, and I was naked. It was cold outside in the spacial realm that was deep into the Octo Valley. I laid there, my body aching, and looking down at the depths of space off the side of the platform..."

Phoenix continued the story. "That whole day, I was searching all throughout Octo Valley. At the last resort, I decided to enter the UFO at the top of the area. There, I was transported into Octo Space. I began searching everywhere, all the buildings and areas, but couldn't find Thalia."

Then, Phoenix sighed. "I finally got to the deepest part of Octo Space, near DJ Octavio's residential palace and the Octarian Laboratory. That was there where I found Thalia sprawled on the ground. But, I didn't recognize her at first. Then, I saw her sparkling, vivid blue eyes. And she called out to me. Because she was naked, I gave her the jacket I was given on my birthday, and it covered her wounds from being infected. I picked her up from the ground and carried her all the way home."

"Wow..." Sapphire said, amazed at what they have gone through. Many of the people in the room had a look of sorrow and truly felt bad for the two octolings.

"When we got home, our family took us to the doctor, and the doctor said that we were both infected with a liquid," Phoenix continued on. "He said it was the liquid that the scientists at the laboratory were testing."

"I think he felt bad for us," Thalia said, remembering the doctor's apologetic look.

"And in that room, he explained it all to us," Phoenix smirked.

"Okay, tell us all the information, guys," Sheldon said. "You guys can potentially be the end to all this war. The saviors of Squids and Octarians!"

"But isn't Silver..." Thalia looked over at Silver shyly.

"No, no, it's okay. The information you might have can be really helpful. You guys are really helping us out," Silver said quickly, earning a sheepish smile from Sheldon.

"So, the doctor said that the Octarian scientists were trying to develop a substance that would be deadly. It would work along with the plan to steal the Zapfish and control the Squids. Unfortunately, the substance and all it's alternate ideas affected both the Squids and the Octarians," Phoenix said before he stopped.

"The effects of it that the doctor told me was that getting hurt by ink wouldn't respawn you to a nearby kettle. It would injure you and kill you with enough shots," Thalia continued. "They had failed testing it so many times. So many alternatives and different solutions, but the one on me worked. After I was turned into a human, they shot me, and it worked. Other than the aching in my body, it had worked."

"The doctor said that what the Octarians were trying to achieve was to change weapons into the weapons that the humans long before us used. They were used to kill others. Just like those shiny, black weapons that the expert Octarians were given to use," Phoenix said.

"So, any way to get rid of it?" Silver asked.

"Yeah. Fully dip yourself in water," Thalia said, almost laughing. "They said it will flush out all of CI-220 out of your body. They had us s-strip into our underwear and dip ourselves into a tub of saltwater that they had for experiments," Thalia said nervously as she looked at Phoenix and blushed.

Phoenix chuckled and blushed as well, but returned to the subject. "The doctor told us to get out of the water quickly when we would start to feel pain, because that would mean that the substance was disinfected from our bodies and our physical weakness to real water would come back."

"Oh my Zapfish, you've given us the solution to this corruption problem!" Sheldon gave the two a bright smile. "Hey, Lucas? Can you make an announcement to all of the army and civilians instructions on how to cleanse themselves of CI-220? I'm sure you've been listening," Sheldon requested a random leader of a group.

"Yes, sir!" Lucas exited the meeting room.

"Okay, guys! Let's get rid of it!" Sheldon exclaimed, leading the whole group out of the meeting room.

* * *

Soon, all of the group were on the beach, and so were some residents of the HakoForge Islands. Silver, Sapphire, Phoenix, and Thalia found their own private spot where no one else was so they could cleanse themselves alone. After all, who wanted to see Sheldon in his underwear?

 **(That's right. No one does. Unless you have an attraction to Sheldon. Then go ahead. I don't judge. :3)**

"So we strip, go in the water, and come out whenever we start hurting from the water?" Sapphire needed an assurance.

"Yup," Phoenix and Thalia answered as they headed of a little farther away.

"Oh, that's easy," Sapphire said, quickly taking off her gear and clothes, leaving her in her underwear and throwing it on the sand. Silver looked at Sapphire and sighed heavily before taking off his clothes and following Sapphire.

Sapphire took Silver's hand. "Oh come on. Don't sigh. I'm SUPAH sexy!" Sapphire lifted her arms above her head, posed in her underwear, and smirked at Silver.

Silver giggled at her outgoing personality. Sapphire was really not afraid of embarrassment. "Come on, Silver. It's not like Sheldon's here," Sapphire said laughing as they both looked over many yards away to see people backing off from Sheldon who was in his underwear, amusingly flexing his helmet and muscles.

"Okay, Sapphire," Silver smiled warmly. They held hands as they stepped into the water.

The cold water immediately kicked in to their senses, but after awhile, it felt calming. They began swimming in the water in their human forme, taking in all the aquatic surroundings.

"Silver, this is so awesome!" Sapphire said as she swam in the water. "So much better than the ink version water we use!"

Silver only grinned. They both began to dive into the water, exploring what was under the surface. Trying to swim in the water in their squid forme, they both found it difficult.

"I guess our squid forme is for swimming through ink..." Sapphire said as she resurfaced. She looked to her side to see Silver resurface after her. Grinning, she splashed a wave of water towards Silver.

"Hey!" Silver yelled in surprise as he splashed water back at Sapphire.

Sapphire giggled as she began to rapidly fling water at Silver, and Silver did the same as well.

From a few yards away, Phoenix and Thalia looked over at the couple who were laughing and throwing water at each other. They giggled and returned their attention back to themselves. Phoenix smiled at Thalia as he picked her up and carried her into the ocean. Calmly, Phoenix laid Thalia afloat on the water, and did the same as well.

"...Hey, Phoenix?" Thalia asked quietly as she looked up at the afternoon sun.

"Yeah, Thalia?" Phoenix answered.

"...Um... Aren't Silver and Sapphire in a relationship?" Thalia asked.

"...Yeah?" Phoenix said slowly as he felt a smile growing on his face.

"Why aren't we in a relationship?" Thalia questioned.

"Thalia, you're always welcome to be in a relationship with me," Phoenix sat up and slicked his wet, fiery red hair back. "We've spent all of our lives together, and we seem to really love each other," Phoenix smiled warmly.

"You mean it?!" Thalia exclaimed, sitting up in the water, her blue eyes gleaming.

"Absolutely," Phoenix said determinedly.

"Aww!" Thalia tackled him and he caught her in his arms. Thalia looked up at him slightly. "I love you, Phoenix..." She pulled Phoenix close to her and began to kiss him on the lips.

Phoenix was startled but returned the kiss. While he was kissing, he put his hands at her waist and hugged her tightly. With hugging half bare-skinned, Phoenix still felt the warmth and beating of her passionate heart.

"...I love you too, Thalia..." Phoenix said as he broke away from the kiss and held hands with Thalia.

"...Umm... Hey, do you feel something in your legs?" Thalia asked rubbing her legs which were underwater. As soon as she submerged her hand, her hand started to burn.

"Ow..." she winced as she quickly retreated her hand.

"Come on. Let's get out of the water and get our clothes back on," Phoenix smiled.

"Okay," Thalia blushed as she followed Phoenix hand-in-hand out of the water.

Back where Silver and Sapphire were, they seemed to be having a lot of fun. They were still at it, flinging slashes of water at each other and having a good time. Accidentally, Silver got too close and slapped her slightly on the face while flinging water at her.

"OWWW!" Sapphire yelled loudly, giving Silver a death stare. "I'm gonna kill you, Silver!" Swiftly, she lunged at him and tackled him into the water. But by doing so, she fell onto Silver and pushed themselves into the water.

In the water, Sapphire felt Silver's arm wrap around her and a rising motion. Soon they were above the water, their bodies soaked with the salty water. Sapphire found herself to be in Silver's arms, cuddled close to his body.

"Sorry for slapping you," Silver smirked.

"Let me slap you," Sapphire pouted. Quickly, without warning, she slapped her hand across Silver's face. Soon after, there was a red mark on his cheek.

"OWW! That really hu- mmmhhh..." Silver was cut off by Sapphire kissing him on the lips. He put his hands at her waist and hugged her close.

Sapphire broke away from the kiss. "Yeah, that's right! Hug me, because I'm SUPAH _SUPAH_ SEXY!" Sapphire exclaimed, posing in her underwear again.

Silver only face-palmed. "Do you even feel the burning sensation? You're too busy worrying about your sexiness!" Silver giggled as he held her still. Immediately, she felt the pain coursing through her legs.

"Okay, let's get out of here," Sapphire sighed as she followed Silver out of the water.

* * *

"Okay, but the only disadvantage that the water-cleansing method has is that CI-220 is spread everywhere. You'll probably get it again in a few hours," Phoenix explained as he sat back down in his chair in the meeting room.

"Okay, got it. So we gotta get rid of all of it? Clean where it's all spread?" Silver questioned. "But that'll take forever!"

"Oh, Silver sir!" a person in the group raised his hand. "I actually have a few machines that'll get the work done."

"It's called F.L.U.D.D. Short for Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dowsing Device. I can fill it up with water and shoot it everywhere to clean up the substance," the person said.

"That's a great idea!" Silver exclaimed. "By the way, what is your name?"

"The name is Mario," the person said, slicking back his red-colored tentacle hair. "I have eight available F.L.U.D.D.'s for me and seven other people."

"Okay, good. Take some fighters from your branch of the army, Mario, and thanks for cleaning up!" Silver thanked the red-haired male.

"No problem, sir!" Mario saluted as he walked out of the meeting room.

"So... Is there anything else you need to inform us about?" Sapphire asked.

Thalia thought long and hard for a moment. Then she remembered, "Oh, yeah! There was this group of octolings that we were secretly following. They were planning to teleport Octarian forces and hack the Tentatique City technology from the mountain and forested border of Tentatique and Rockenburg!" she said in the most innocent way possible.

"Hackers?" Sapphire said slowly and quietly. A dreading silence filling the room.

Everyone sat up straight and had panicked faces. "You should have told us earlier!" Sheldon yelped in fright as he pulled a hologram up from the center of the table. Quickly, he dialed a number into a hidden keypad in the table and watched as the hologram connected to the Tentatique Laboratory.

"HACKER!" Sheldon immediately yelled at the hologram right after the screen turned on to a working scientist.

"Hmm?" the scientist needed a repeat.

"HACKER. GO ON LOCKDO-" Sheldon said before the lights in the laboratory cut off. He barely saw the bored expression of the scientist turning into a fearful and attentive expression before the screen turned black. Soon, there was yelling all in the laboratory. Everyone around the meeting table watched the hologram intensely.

Then, the screen turned static before showing the face of General Shadow, sitting in the chair of DJ Octavio. Even with the static, the whole group could see his menacing smirk.

"Foolish children... Thalia and Phoenix," General Shadow laughed, "You think you're clever enough to get away from me, survive exile, and side with the Squids? Well, this attack will leave you vulnerable. This attack will finally destroy you all!"

"You all think you're smart. But I'm always in control. I am the god of this universe. Anything I want becomes true. I will slaughter you all personally, whether you're children or not," General Shadow said in his demanding voice.

Then, the hologram disappeared, leaving the whole room in a state of shock. Soon, Silver stood up and turned to everyone.

"Guys, we need to go. Now." Silver turned to Thalia. "You said in the Tentatique and Rockenburg border?"

"Yup," Thalia answered, though still distraught about what General Shadow said.

"Okay, Sheldon. You need to start contacting the army and all the groups to go to Tentatique City and wait for further instructions. Sapphire, can you call Aidan and the others?" Silver requested.

"Yeah," Sapphire and Sheldon said as they began to start their tasks.

"Okay, guys. This might be it," Silver said with a tense expression. "Even though our warning was short and vague, it can mean disaster for us. Shadow is not God, but he's just making the impression. No one here really has complete control over everyone, and we're here to prove that to him. So, let's go!"

Everyone gave enthusiastic cheers as they followed Silver out of the meeting room and out of the underground base. Even with the new information, they still would face hardships and battles, for the Octarians were clever enough to work around spilled secrets.

* * *

"Hold on," Aidan said as he reached into his pocket to get out his ringing phone. "Hello?"

Chloe, Sean, Callie, Marie, and the three of the Booyah Base shopkeepers quieted down to hear what Aidan was talking about. The group was in a store in Zekkori City, for the group had met the shopkeepers looking through the clothing boutiques in downtown Zekkori.

"You need us to come now?" Aidan said into the phone. Then, he nodded. "Okay, guys. We're going to Tentatique City!" he sighed while saying enthusiastically.

"What for?" Callie questioned.

"DEEZE BOMBS!" Moe the Clownfish yelled from Annie's anemone hair. "HA! GOT 'EM!"

"...Sorry..." Annie said quietly as she backed off.

Aidan looked at Annie apologetically. "It's from Sapphire by the way. They received a threat from the Octarians and we need the army to go to Tentatique.

"Can Jelonzo purchase one of the pieces of cloth on fancy table?" Jelonzo asked.

"Yeah," Aidan said with a grin.

"Aidan is thanked by Jelonzo," Jelonzo thanked Aidan in his weird speech.

"Hey, Kiddo," Crusty Sean caught Aidan's attention. "We'll be joining the fight as well. Don't forget about us."

Agreeing with him were Moe and Annie and Jelonzo who waved from the cashier desk. The groups, smiled.

"Oh, maybe we can get Hank and those two kids to fight as well if they're feeling better," Sean added.

"Okay. I guess we're ready," Aidan said as he saw Jelonzo returning wearing a new shirt. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah!" the rest of the group cheered as they went out of the store to begin preparations of gathering the army from the nearer cities.

* * *

It was now sundown as the ferry from HakoForge Island arrived at Tentatique Port. The whole city was covered in a shade, even though the sky was still illuminated purple, pink, and orange from the sunset. As the ferry full of fighters from HakoForge Base neared the pier, Silver, Sapphire, Phoenix, and Thalia glanced up at the tall mountain range that loomed over the city.

Past the city limits of Tentatique, the surroundings became natural instead of advanced and technical. Forests stood behind the city and were sprouted all the way to the mountains. Through the mountains was a tunnel for a convenient passageway from Tentatique to Rockenburg.

In fact, most of the natural area past the city limits of Tentatique was owned by Rockenburg. The quickly-regenerating forest was used for lumber. The freshwater rivers that flowed down the mountains and through the forests was used for generating electricity and a decent supply of water to convert into ink-water. In the mountain, there were many mines used for digging up minerals and resources, such as coal, iron, and granite. On the other side of the mountains, there were flat lands used for farming. Many experiments pertaining to nature were tested in this natural area.

"That mountain," Sheldon caught the squad's attention by pointing to the tallest mountain of the range, "is called Rocky Piques Mountain. As in the name, it's known for capturing people's attention with its natural beauty and the many stories that are told about it. It's history and legends are really what _pique_ my interest!" Sheldon laughed at the end when he used a pun, though the squad and none of the fighters passing them to enter the city laughed.

"Sheldon, we should go now. Take us to the laboratory," Silver said with Sapphire, Phoenix, and Thalia nodding afterwards.

"Oh, no. Only I am going. You guys need to lead the army in the army intrusion," Sheldon laughed. "But, do you need anything?"

Silver was quiet for a moment. He seemed to look at the ready army and the rest of the army that was coming. Then he set his mind and turned to Sheldon. "Yeah. I would like you to get a ton of boxes full of those teleportation capsules. We need at most one for each member of the army."

"One for each person?!" But there's about a few thousand people in the army!" Sheldon said.

"It'll work. Don't worry. We'll teach them," Silver said, looking at the crowd of fighters that had already went into the city and back at the squad.

Soon, they were all alone on the pier. Then, Phoenix heard the sound of a ferry whistle. Looking to where the sound came from, Phoenix and Thalia spotted another ferry approaching in the distance.

"HEY!" the distinct voice of Callie was heard all the way to the pier. Standing with her at the railing on the front of the boat were Marie, Aidan, Chloe, Sean, and the other shopkeepers from Booyah Base.

The group at the pier, with the exception of Phoenix and Thalia, waved back as they saw their friends come. In a few moments, the ferry had arrived at the pier, unloading another batch of fighters ready to fight.

"Hallo!" Chloe waved, her pink hair bouncing behind her. She ran up to Silver and Sapphire and gave them both a casual hug. In return, Silver and Sapphire giggled and hugged Chloe back. Behind Chloe appeared Aidan, wearing a smirk on his face. Soon those excited faces dropped as they saw two octolings standing behind Silver and Sapphire.

"Oh my shi- shicken peas!" Chloe exclaimed as she almost slipped. "You caught two octolings!"

"Oh, no. We didn't catch them," Silver corrected Chloe as he smiled at the octoling couple. "They're actually a great help. We wouldn't have been able to do this in time without their information."

"You were helped by some octolings?" Callie asked a little sick. "Um, that's cool and all, but... I should really get octo pie of my delicacy list, Marie..." Callie whispered the last part in Marie's ear.

"Octo pie?!" Marie looked at Callie with disgust.

"So, you guys are okay with them? They're really good," Silver asked, grinning at the octolings.

"Sure," Aidan, Chloe, and Sean smiled at the two octolings who smiled back shyly. "As long as they don't rip us octAPART!" Callie yelled a pun behind the three.

Marie sighed heavily. "That wasn't punny. Your puns are punbearable!" Phoenix and Thalia laughed at Marie.

Before Callie could complain, Silver spoke up. "Can you guys take large groups of fighters and teach them about the teleportation capsule? I'm assuming you all have tried cleaning yourselves in water."

"Yeah. We were told by the city mayor," Sean said. "And we still have the two that were given to us at Kettle City," Sean informed as he and the rest held up their two capsules.

"Okay, then, let's go!" Sapphire exclaimed as she, Silver, Thalia, Phoenix, the Squid Sisters, Sean, Chloe, and Aidan got off the pier and entered into Tentatique City.

Tentatique City was rather large. It was the city representing commerce, economy, and technology. There were a good amount of skyscrapers and many more less tall buildings. Many shops lined the street, and the street itself was clean. Tentatique was populated, but had the least amount of pollution due to many advances in technology. Almost everything, if not everything, was electric.

Silver saw the fighters head towards the laboratory. Turning to his friends, he said, "Okay. Go to the outskirts of the city. There, we'll form groups so we can demonstrate how and when to properly use those teleporting capsules."

"Okay, got it!" his friends responded.

The gang headed to the outskirts of the city towards the dark woods along with the fighters who were ready. There, they began to prepare themselves, instruct and plan out attack. They continued on, though, not knowing of the octolings at the summit of Rocky Piques, looking back at them from a cave opening. Then, multitudes of octoling fighters and armies began to appear on the mountain and in the cave, teleporting from the other islands, ready to fight and destroy the inklings.

* * *

With the sun already down, the Squid army began to make its way through the dark, large forest. Again, Silver, Sapphire, and their friends were leading, with the fighters behind them, even more still arriving back at the city.

"So, Aidan and Chloe, will you guys take a group with you?" Sapphire asked.

"Sure. So the plan is to separate and then to attack from all sides?" Aidan needed a confirmation.

"Yup," Silver answered. "Callie and Marie, you take a group. You will be leading your group up the east side of the mountain. Sean, you can take your own group. You will go through the tunnel and then try to attack from behind. Aidan and Chloe, you'll come in from the west of the mountain."

The friends nodded and went off to collect fighters. All that were left were Phoenix and Thalia. "You guys, come with us," Sapphire said and smiled at the octolings.

"Okay!" Thalia exclaimed enthusiastically.

* * *

Eventually the groups had separated. Silver, Sapphire, Phoenix, and Thalia's group was heading in the middle, planning to attack head-first. Beside them was a a river of water, and trees provided coverage everywhere they looked. They were in the middle of the large forest, walking at a decent speed.

"Hey, do you think that they'll have a lot of fighters, Phoenix?" Silver asked him.

"Probably. Their plan was to take every single Octarian fighter and have them fight here," Phoenix answered, scratching the back of his head.

"Isn't that stupid? We can take back the places they captured if they bring all their fighters here," Silver pointed out.

"Yeah, that can be stupid, but-" Phoenix said before being cut off violently. Immediately, the enormous group of fighters saw the dark fuchsia-colored sniper's line of sight aim at the forehead of a fighter. Before they could react, that fighter was sniped, and was blown back onto the ground.

"OCTOLINGS. TAKE COVER!" Silver yelled at his army as everyone began to take cover behind the trees.

Silver looked behind the tree to see plains separating the forests. The pain was wide, wide enough for a battlefield. There were rocks and there seemed to be a rocky valley in the middle. But standing in the enormous plains were a multitude of Octarian fighters, aiming their guns to the forest.

The Squid army was outnumbered.

"...GO. FIGHT!" Silver yelled as he began to fun forward, dashing through the trees. The Squid fighters followed after him, charging their weapons and getting their bombs out.

The fight was going to be long and brutal. With the terrain and the number of fighters, the Squids looked like they were going to lose. But with their determination, anything could be possible. The shining light of the full moon shined down of the field as the two armies began to exchange fire.

* * *

 **GUYS I'M BACK. YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

 **But, I'm pretty sure I lost many readers with the long wait. _ *starts crying*. But I'll promise to be more punctual when writing my stories.**

 **So how was your Christmas? New Year? Mine was great. I procrastinated a lot. And I did my high school application. And stuff. But these next two months will be really busy for me, so I'm sorry if I can't update soon. But I'll try my best to work on it more.**

 **BECAUSE WE'RE MORE THAN HALFWAY DONE WITH THIS BOOK. NUUUUU.**

 **But there will be a sequel to this book. A majority of the people commented for a sad ending. So, sad ending=SEQUEL.**

 **There was a review here on about not wanting a sad ending? Well, it's alright. Because the sequel to this book, Splatoon: The Power of Ink, will have the GREATEST OF ALL GREATEST ENDINGS OF ANY SPLATOON FANFIC THERE EVER WAAAAASSSSS.**

 **Well, that's just my opinion. So be sure to follow me if you want to keep up with what's happening with the story, as well as all the other stuff I do on .**

 **Next chapter, will probably be long. Lots of fighting and combat between the two armies. Oh God, halp meh.**

 **~Aura-kun**


	14. Chapter 13: Fighting in the WildernessP1

Silver was the first to reach the forest line, dodging all the sniper shots that were released through the abundance of trees. He panted, his back to the bark of the tall, thick tree. Laying down on the grass, he held his Splatterscope to assess the situation. As Bubblers, Splash Wallers, Krakens, and Bomb Rushers rushed in, he began to snipe the nearest of the enemies. His silver, sniper's line of sight was almost invisible, traveling through the grass and through the fighters who were clashing. With that position, he was able to take many Octarians out or at least immobilize them.

Thalia went in as a Kraken with her new weapon that was bought for her, the Octobrush. As she tripped and injured Octarians, Sapphire swam behind her in the trail Thalia made as a Kraken. Immediately after Thalia's Kraken ran out, she hid in the ink while Sapphire turned from a Krak-On Splat Roller to continue Thalia's job. When Sapphire's Kraken and every other fighters' special ran out, the Squids would have to fight back with ink and guns.

Meanwhile, Phoenix was traveling sneakily through the little rocky valley in the middle of the field. Using his speed, he splooshed and slowed down the Octarians hiding in the valley. Though, through his run, he was shot painfully a few times. Finally, he retreated back to one of the many beacons hidden in the forest.

Thalia and Sapphire and all the other fighters continued to push forward. Even with the many Octarian fighters, the Squid fighters were able to push forward. Soon, they had pushed them back past the middle rocky valley. The Octarians had stopped fighting, which was unusual.

"Phoenix, can you and other short ranged fighters charge on ahead first?" Sapphire requested.

"Sure," Phoenix said as he motioned to other fighters to drop down in the valley. Immediately as they dropped down, many Splat Bombs were thrown from the other side into the valley.

"PHOENIX, GET OUT, NOW!" Thalia yelled as she stood up to start rolling to the other side. As soon as she made her appearance known to the Octarians, a line of Inkzooka tornadoes were shot at the Squids. As fast as she could, she docked back into the rocky, plain cover with the others. She winced as she heard the Splat Bombs explode in the rocky mid-trench and screams afterward.

"PHOENIX!" she cried out. Her rage sped up her Kraken recharge. She laughed insanely as she jumped over the trench and turned into a Kraken, immobilizing and even killing some of the Octarian fighters.

Silver came from out of the trees after the army had advanced forward. He glanced down into the trench to see Phoenix barely alive, but many other fighters injured or even dead. He saw Thalia on the other side of the trench staying behind the front line.

"...Thalia!" Silver shouted from the other side of the trench. He motioned for her to come back to him. She jumped over the edge and went back to Silver with a blank expression.

"Hey, um Thalia?" Silver put a hand on her shoulder. "Can you help me get Phoenix and these people to the river over there?" he asked, pointing to the river that ran alongside them a few yards away.

"Why the river?..." Thalia said, almost crying as Silver went down into the trench to retrieve Phoenix and other injured squids.

"I can cleanse the substance off of the bodies and we can all send them to the front lines to be splatted and then respawning back somewhere," Silver smiled down at Thalia as he brought to weak and injured squids: Phoenix and another fighter.

"Why not keep washing the substance off the bodies?" Thalia looked at Phoenix sadly.

"It's inefficient and the Octarians would probably pull out their lethal, ancient weapons if they found us respawning and healing," Silver said as he nodded for Thalia to follow him. Silver carried the younger octoling to the river. With Thalia watching behind him, Silver laid Phoenix's body in the slightly running water. Soon, Phoenix began to wince which told them that Phoenix began to feel the pain of water once more.

"Do you wanna kick your boyfriend?" Silver asked jokingly to Thalia as he laid Phoenix on the grass.

"Oh my God, YEAHHH!" Thalia exclaimed happily, the somberness she once had replace by her happiness and playfulness. Then, Phoenix began to open his eyes a little bit.

"Oh... Hey... Thalia and Silver..." Phoenix murmured wearily.

"I'll see you again in a few minutes, Phoenix!" Thalia said cheerfully. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. But before he could say anything back, he was kicked forcefully in the side by Thalia and into the river. Eventually, he drowned in the water, and his squid spirit floated up, glaring at Thalia. Thalia giggled heartily.

"...He'll teleport back to one of your beacons in the forest. You better watch out for him," Silver said, laying more bodies into the water and letting Thalia playfully kick them to be splatted back to Tentatique City.

"Oh, I will," Thalia said, running her hand down her octoling hair as they finished splatting the bodies that were still alive.

"...So, what should we do about the dead bodies?" Thalia asked after looking back at the trench full of dead Squid fighters.

"Even if they're dead... I feel like we'll still be able to release... their souls..." Silver said quietly.

He took one dead body and laid it in the water. Eventually, the running water changed the body back to its natural physical properties. With the physical properties returning, the dead bodies were worn out by the water. The body was splatted, but the sleeping silver soul of the fighter rose up into the air. The soul reverted back to the color blue, which was its original incarnation color.

"...Wow..." Thalia said, staring up at the sky where the soul had risen.

In the next five minutes, the two had respectfully released all the souls from the dead fighters. Then, Thalia screamed suddenly. Silver laughed as she turned around to see that Phoenix had come back and flicked Thalia in the back of the head.

"What was that for?!" Thalia yelled at him.

"For kicking me to death," Phoenix answered bluntly.

"Oh, yeah... But you didn't die!" Thalia yelled. "Can I at least get you back?"

"...Fine..." Phoenix sighed. Thalia quickly inked the ground under Phoenix and tripped him with her. She started to giggle endlessly.

"There, you got me. Now let's go fight," Phoenix said, pointing at the Squid army who was unable to push forward.

"You got it," Thalia said determinedly. Silver smiled warmly at the octoling couple. They had really come far since he met them as nervous refugee octolings. The three went to catch up with the army.

The three and the others who had just teleported back to the battlefield were climbing up the trench wall when they heard a gunshot. They all ducked to see an older inkling thrown and collapsed at the bottom of the trench, a hole the size of a sniper bullet through his head. Silver peeked above the surface of the ground and saw a sniper with a shiny, long weapon. He kept aiming it everywhere, his eyes on the lookout for any Squids to kill. There were no other Octarian soldiers out there. Only the lone sniper.

Then, a random fighter, behind his rock, set up a Killer Wail, another launched an Inkstrike, and the third went on as a Kraken to try to kill the sniper. The sniper only side-stepped the Killer Wail, swam backwards a few feet from the Inkstrike, and no-scoped the Kraken. Even as the Kraken, the bullet lodged itself into the body. The Kraken started bleeding. Soon, lifeless. As the Kraken special depleted, the fighter who used it lay on the ground dead with a bullet hole through his chest and bleeding slightly.

The sniper was just there to give allowance for the Octarian army to recuperate.

Silver yelled at the Squid army. "Guys! Go retreat. We'll be defeated when their army returns!" As the army retreated, Silver aimed his Splatterscope up and continued to shoot at the sniper from the cover of the trench wall. Soon, he forced the Octarian sniper into the forest on the other side.

After a few minutes of not inkfire or gunfire, Silver quickly got out of the trench and began to run lowly through the rocks and the grass. He was attempting to get back to the cover of the forest before bullets were shot by the Octolings.

Nearing the forest line, Silver caught sight of his friends and his army hidden away near the river and in the trees. He saw the octoling pair and Sapphire wave at him before he heard an echoing shot ring throughout the field.

As the Octoling stayed hidden in the trees, he held his arm steady, holding the fatal weapon in his hand. His cross-hairs in his scope slowly and steadily lined up with the back of Silver. Without hesitation, the Octoling pulled the trigger. In his scope, he saw the bullet enter Silver's back, and the inkling collapsed on the grassy ground.

"SILVER!" Sapphire yelled out in horror as she saw her boyfriend fall abruptly to the ground, a bullet hole in his back and blood slightly flowing out.

* * *

"So, Sean," a random fighter asked Sean as he and his army walked through the lit tunnel through the mountain to Rockenburg, "do you know Silver and Sapphire well?"

"Not that much, but I know their friends, Aidan and Chloe well," Sean grinned slightly as he kept to the wall of the tunnel.

"Really?" another fighter asked. He was a bit younger than Sean. "How?"

Sean smiled. "I used to be Chloe's boyfriend. Hahaha, I remember it as if it was two weeks ago. It actually was two weeks ago."

"Wow," Sean's army murmured and giggled.

"I used to be abusive to Chloe. I used to be really inconsiderate and ignorant. But they've forgiven me and now I'm still friends with Chloe," Sean said, recalling past moments.

"Didn't you used to be against them or something?" someone asked. "Social medias were blowing up that you and three others were fighting them in ink battles."

"Yeah... But..." Sean grew silent, "I'm sure two are dead from the Octarians and another might be still alive."

Suddenly, whispering was heard around the corner of a tunnel. After it came ink shooting noises.

"...What was that?" a younger inkling asked Sean.

"...I'm not sure..." Sean hushed the army. They began walking with their backs to the wall of the tunnel, ink weapons up and ready to be used. After creeping alone the curving corner, they saw that in front of them, the road was fully painted with Octarian ink. Sean and some others began to aimlessly shoot.

"Sean, stop!" an octoling shot up from under the ink. "It's me!"

"Who are you?!" Sean said warningly. He still held up his gun along with some others.

"It's me! Clarisse!" the 'octoling' took some of her gear off. She was not an octoling, but an inkling. Her hair was the color of the octoling's but was still the same shape as an inkling's. There were highlights of purple, reminiscent of her original purple hair.

The tight clothing.

The way she showed off her sexiness.

Her physical development in those areas.

Her perfect lips.

Her eyes filled with lust. But this time, with less lust for Silver. She now had a look of weariness and determination.

"Clarisse!" Sean exclaimed. He dropped his weapon, ran up to her, and hugged her.

"...Why hug me?" Clarisse hugged him back as Sean's army quieted down. "Your whole team and I hated Silver, Sapphire, Aidan, and Chloe..."

"...Even though, you're still a teammate. A team sticks together no matter what," Sean said strongly.

"You're right," Clarisse smirked and returned to her usual antics, first by putting her hand on Sean's chest.

"What have you been doing lately?" Sean questioned, ignoring Clarisse's gesture. "Since we were force out of Inkopolis, you haven't been seen anywhere."

"Oh, some blind, old Octarian man took me into his house, gave me armor, and told me to fight for justice," Clarisse said. Then, a decently large group of Octarians, relatively young and old, rose up from the ink. The little octolings had scared faces while the elderly Octarians had expressions in which their eyes stared blankly as if they knew everything.

An old Octoling stepped slowly up to Clarisse, and she smiled. "This is the old man. He told me to fight for justice, so I did!" Clarisse said.

The old man smiled. His eyes were gray but were clouded. "You did, sonny... I thank you for that..." the old man said and patted her on her chest.

"Eww, get away from me!" Clarisse backed off from the old man as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm a girl, and stop calling me sonny!"

"Alright, sonny. I'll stop being your mommy," the old man heard wrong. Sean's army snickered, as well as Sean himself.

"So, Clarisse," Sean smiled. "Good job. You've managed to capture the Octarians into slavery."

"It's not slavery!" Clarisse shot back. "I just stole all the Octarians who didn't want to fight. They all disagree with this war."

"Wow..." Sean said. "...That's a lot of people..."

"...Some of us want to help fight," an older octoling spoke up. He held up his Octo Splat Roller. Some other Octarians held up various weapons that were Octo versions of the Squid weapons.

"Really?" Sean exclaimed. "I'm sure Silver and sapphire would like your support. Clarisse, can you take the elderly and the young and those who don't want to fight back to Tentatique City? My army and these ready Octarians will push forward."

"Sure thing, Sean," Clarisse said. "I'll just teleport to one of your army's beacons when I'm finished."

And with that, Clarisse and the other people were heading to the other side of the tunnel, towards the river outside. With Clarisse's plan, they all dropped themselves into the river and eventually got splatted by the running water. Their souls were released into the air and heading back to Tentatique.

Sean turned to his army. "Guys, all of you who have beacons, please set some up. The tunnel has a lot of coverage and is a good spot to start fighting in."

As Sean said that, about thirty beacons were set. Though, the army decided to do one last thing before they headed forward with their mission. Taking out all of their weapons, the fighters painted every part of the tunnel silver as a way of taking cover and hiding from enemies.

"We're ready, guys. Let's move on," Sean said as he and his army continued to paint the tunnel as they sneaked through it.

* * *

"Hey, Marie," Callie poked Marie with her gun.

"What?" Marie sighed.

"What do you call our adventure up the side of this mountain?" Callie held in laughter as she pulled herself up a rocky cliff.

"...What?" Marie said unamused, helping other fighters up the rocky cliff.

"...A splat-former!" Callie burst into laughter.

Marie and their whole army sighed heavily. "That pun was uninkceptable," a random fighter muttered.

"Haha, good one!" Marie exclaimed and high-fived the fighter. The whole army started laughing, but Callie started pouting.

"Why does everyone always makes good comebacks?" Callie said as she looked to the north of the area where she saw glimpses of silver and dark fuchsia colored ink fly through the air.

"Because you always make the joke first," Marie said. "Maybe you should wait until someone makes a joke before you can have a good comeback."

"But you never make the joke first! I always make the joke first!" Callie complained.

"Well, you should try to change that, Callie," Marie snickered. The whole group laughed along. Callie sighed and shook her head.

"Hey, isn't that where Silver and Sapphire are?" a fighter asked them as he pointed to a large plain north of the mountain, where Callie was looking at. Though, the large fields had no inkfire or gunfire, as it was earlier.

"Yeah..." Callie murmured as she stared out to the field. As their army rested on a large rock platform of the mountain, she saw something. "Hey, isn't that Silver?" Callie asked, catching the attention of the whole army and Marie. Callie pointed down to a very minuscule speck that had silver hair and a sniper.

"Yeah, it is," Marie, as well as the army, stared into the distance and observed Silver.

The silver speck in the middle of the field began to run back to the trees. To Callie and Marie, he seemed slow, but eventually he was almost at the trees. Then a loud, echoing shot of a gun rang throughout the area, causing the Squid Sisters' army to duck and look for cover under the rocks. Callie and Marie and some other fighters stayed out and wielded their weapons. Looking again, Callie peered into the distance at the field to see the silver speck motionless and on the ground.

"...D-Did Silver just get... shot?" Marie said slowly, obvious dread in her voice. Their whole army started to chatter and look down at the distant fields.

Then, a white-colored cylinder with a base was thrown and stuck to the ground. Its dark fuchsia outline shined and caught everyone's attention.

"Run!" Callie yelled. In a flash, the whole group of fighters tossed themselves of the rock platform. As soon as they did, the bomb exploded, covering the area with Octarian ink.

Callie, Marie, and some of the experienced fighters flipped and landed safely on other parts of the rocky mountainside. The others had unfortunately fell to the ground and tumbled down the mountain.

"Callie, go down and help the fighters that were injured. The others here and I will hold them off as long as we can!" Marie ordered as she and the other fighters hid under a small cliff.

"Fine..." Callie gave up. With a smile, she hopped down the terrain as inkfire from the higher areas barely hit her.

Marie and her little band of fighters waited until there was no more shooting from Octarians above. Then, Marie peeked her head a little above the cliff. On the surface were eight octoling, wielding their basic Octoshots, and cautiously crossed the small rocky platform, nearing to where Marie and her fighters were hiding.

"Eight octolings," Marie whispered.

"Eight octolings? That's easy," a cocky fighter said as they began to reveal themselves. As soon as he jumped over the cliff to release his Kraken, the four of the eight octolings began shooting him, and pushed his Kraken-self off the cliff to the forests below.

As those four octolings were distracted with the Kraken, some other fighters went up to fight, but were injured by the tornadoes of ink that came from one of the octoling's Inkzooka. Marie sighed as she started to set up a Killer Wail, while sending a few more fighters up. As the fighters went up, they shot from the sides of the area, so that the eight octolings were forced in the middle. Then, the silver sound wave hit the octolings, making them temporarily lose hearing. The fighters and Marie took the weapons off the octolings and kicked them off the edge of the mountainside.

"Dang, you guys are so brutal," Callie said, with some other fighters standing behind Marie.

"Why didn't you help?" Marie yelled.

"Oh, I wanted to watch," Callie said casually.

"And why are you back so soon?" some other fighter questioned her as he pulled himself up on the cliff.

"Oh, I killed those fighters that fell off the mountain," Callie said with a happy expression.

"YOU WHAT?!" Marie yelled at her, her face becoming anxious.

"Oh, I mean splatted them. I put them in a conveniently placed pool of water in the area and splatted them back to Tentatique," Callie laughed.

Marie sighed in relief. "Why do you keep saying 'Oh' every time you talk?" one of Callie's fighters asked behind her.

"Oh, that? Oh, I don't know," Callie shrugged her shoulders. Callie's fighters began to giggle.

"Come on, let's go. I see the cave in the summit of the mountain, we can go camp out near there when we get there," Marie said, regaining composure as she began to lead the army up the large mountain, peering up at the tiny and distant cave hole in the side of the peak of the mountain.

"I just wonder if Silver's okay..." Callie murmured quietly as she glanced over at the open field faraway, seeing that the silver speck on the field ground was nowhere to be seen. Callie sighed as she climbed quickly and safely to catch up with Marie.

* * *

Correspondent of Callie and Marie, Aidan and Chloe and their own army led themselves up the West side of the mountain. It was more treacherous than the East side, where Callie and Marie were. The East side of the mountain had a few rocky cliffs nearing the top, and the rest were elevated hills and inclines of ground and grass. On the other hand, the West side began with the grassy ground at a steep incline. The rest were unkempt pathways weathered into the mountain rock.

"Aidan, you gotta climb up and then help us up," Chloe giggled.

"Okay," Aidan said. He hoisted himself up the high rocky cliff. Then, he held his hand down to reach for Chloe. He took her hands and pulled her up the cliff.

Two by two, they pulled their army and fighters up the cliffs. Even though the trip up the side of the mountain was tough, the outlook and scenery were something to behold.

"Aidan..." Chloe looked up at the now night sky. "It's been a long time since I've seen many stars..." She tapped Aidan on his shoulder and pointed up to the sky. Resting on a decently sized platform of rock, Aidan, Chloe, and their army looked up into the night sky. And indeed, it was littered and twinkling with tiny beacons of light. Some were bigger than the others; some were smaller. The space outside of the earth seemed to be visible from the mountains. Beautiful colors of dark blue, purple, and black made the scenery and the stars seem vivid and lively.

"Why can't we see the stars and space like this anymore?" Chloe questioned Aidan. It was true that she has not seen a clear, starry night sky for years.

"Maybe because of the city lights," Aidan suggested. "I think they brighten up the night too much for the stars to be seen."

"I love this..." Chloe murmured. Then, she thought for a few moments.

"Hey, Aidan?" Chloe asked quietly.

"...Yeah?" Aidan returned his gaze back to Chloe.

"Do you think that the stars have some sort of power?" Chloe spilled her thoughts. "Like some kind of celestial power that can influence us or something?"

"...My guess is no..." Aidan said slowly after thinking for a while. "But... I guess... They can influence you if you believe in it..."

"Aww... Don't give me that 'believe in it' sh-crap," Chloe pouted.

"Well, I don't know what to say," Aidan. "Silver once told me that many things in his life, he perceives them mentally and spiritually."

"...Wow... That's deep..." Chloe said softly, sighing.

"Wait, did you say Silver?" one of their fighters spoke up. Some others wanted to listen in on the conversation as well.

"As in Silver and Sapphire?" another fighter asked, younger than a majority of the group.

"Yeah..." Chloe answered. "Sometimes, Silver's such a strange person..."

"Wow..." the fighters said. "How did you guys get to be friends with them?" someone raised their hand and asked Aidan and Chloe.

"Oh, we stole them and then we forced them to play on our team to beat our rivals," Chloe said in a comical voice.

"Well, we didn't exactly steal them," Aidan scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Whatever," Chloe muttered and smirked. "Let's continue up. The other groups may be up the mountain by now."

"Okay," Aidan said, pulling himself up the rocky ledge.

As a Aidan, Chloe, and a few of the members arrived on top of the small ledge, they saw, not too far away, a small group of about sixteen octolings quietly chatting behind a tree. It was a small forest on the side of the mountain, and some octolings were hanging around in there.

"Oh, shoot," Aidan muttered as he saw one octoling notice them and alert his comrades. "Go! Fight!" Aidan yelled as he released inkfire on the octolings.

As Aidan and Chloe's army began to shoot, so did the octolings. Continuing to dodge inkfire and shots, both opposing armies seemed equally powerful. Though, it became a disadvantage to the inklings when one of the octolings threw a potion.

It was a potion encased in white with dark purple outlines. Chloe saw the potion fly through the air, about to hit the area in which they were fighting.

When the potion hit the ground, it seemed to dissipate into the air in swirls with purple gaseous substances. Immediately, many of the squid fighters started wheezing and coughing, clutching their heads as if they were being mind controlled.

Aidan, Chloe, and some other older, more experienced fighters looked back at the poisoned fighters. Then, they realized that their sub weapon, the disruptor, used in ink battles was converted to a poison that slowed down enemies, not to mention harming them or killing them from the inside.

As Aidan and Chloe decided to retreat down a cliff, the octolings had the same idea and retreated into the forest on the mountain. Looking over their poisoned army, Aidan and Chloe became anxious and started to panic.

"Aidan! What do we do?!" Chloe asked quickly, her gaze shifting to one poisoned fighter to another.

"I don't know," Aidan panicked. "If only we had water so we can splat them and have them respawn healthy."

Then, one of the the fighters caught their attention. "Hey, Aidan and Chloe. There's a conveniently placed cave in the mountain."

Indeed there was. A conveniently placed cave in the wall of the cliff.

A VERY, VERY conveniently shaped cliff.

And it so happened to have water.

"Wow, what a conveniently places cave with water in it," Chloe said, picking up one of the fighters to bring to the cave.

 **"I know," Aidan said, helping carry more fighters to the cave, careful not to get their poison. "It's as if we were in a movie or story or something with a lazy writer."**

As the two and some other fighters dropped the poisoned bodies into the pool of water inside the cave, Aidan's phone in his pocket began to vibrate.

"Oh, I forgot I even had a phone," Aidan giggled and answered his phone.

"AIDAN, SILVER GOT SHOT," Sapphire's slightly static voice yelled through the phone.

"...Huh?" Aidan muttered as he held the phone away from his ear, it being too loud.

"SILVER GOT SHOT! And I don't know how long until he bleeds out to death!" Sapphire yelled in a panicked voice.

"Then what are you waiting for?!" Chloe yelled into the phone. "Go put him into some water!"

"I already took him to the river near us. I don't know if he'll respawn in Tentatique... or if he... died..." Sapphire said in an almost sobbing voice.

"Sapphire... Just do anything you can... Silver needs to be kept alive," Aidan said, sighing heavily.

After a few moments of silence, Sapphire hung up, and Aidan's phone went to sleep. Aidan seemed to barely mutter something as he put his phone away into his pocket. He returned to tending to his poisoned fighters.

"...Aidan? You okay?" Chloe tapped his shoulder slightly.

"...Yeah... It's just that I've never heard of Silver close to death before..." Aidan said quietly as he sent the remaining poisoned fighters into the water to go back to Tentatique.

"Well... I'm pretty sure Silver and Sapphire have been close to death at least once in their life. But whatever it was, they got out of it, and I'm sure they can get out of this too..." Chloe said softly.

Aidan smiled. Some of the other fighters did too. He pet Chloe's head, and he, Chloe, and his temporarily smaller army looked upwards to the darkened sky, returning to the sight of the celestial specks twinkling over the battlegrounds.

* * *

"...Come on, Silver..." Sapphire mumbled to herself as he held Silver's hand, who was submerged in the water.

The blood from the bullet wound had washed away in the water, but the goal was to splat him in the water back to Tentatique.

Only if he was still alive.

Time seemed to stand still as Sapphire knelt in front of Silver's body with fighters standing behind her. Silver would still be alive if his body would melt into the water and his soul floated into the sky, but he would be truly dead if the soul floated out of his body, and his body remained physical and intact.

It had already been a few uneventful minutes, though, feelings were anxious and questioning. Most people began to let their guard down, seeing as nothing happened. Sapphire sighed and buried her head in her arms as she sat on the river bank. Then, fighters began to gasp and pointed to the river. Sapphire looked up, and immediately, her heart plummeted.

A lone, silver-colored soul was slowly rising out of Silver's seemingly lifeless body. Tears began to trickle down Sapphire's face as Silver's physical self remained intact, the soul struggling to rise.

"...No..." Sapphire muttered incoherently to herself. "...Silver..." she broke down and started yelling in sorrow, her Silver gone.

* * *

 **Welp, hello guys. It's so difficult to write battle scenes because I have to depict every single action from both sides in order to make it interesting.**

 **I sometimes wonder how the Pokemon fanfiction writers write their Pokemon battles.**

 **Part two of this chapter will be up sometime. Sometime. I don't know when. Sorry this took three weeks. I got lazy. _**

 **Next time, will the squid regain power over their cities? Or will the Octarians erase them from existence?**

 **(Dramatic, unnecessary questions for the reader. XD)**

 **Is Silver really dead?**

 **I KNOW HE'S NOT. STOP RUINING IT FOR MEH. *goes and cries blood***

 **I just realized when I went to post this on that the number of characters in a title**

 **I don't really know what to say. Ask some questions if you have any.**

 **Hehehehe~**

 **~Aura-kun**


	15. Chapter 14: Fighting in the WildernessP2

The silver soul lingered midair, still hovering over Silver's body. The soul seemed to exert itself, slowly descending down back into the body. After a few minutes, the soul was nowhere to be seen, but definitely inside Silver's body. Phoenix and Thalia stepped out from behind the crowd and stood behind

In a few seconds, color returned to Silver's body, piquing Sapphire's curiosity.

"...Silver?" Sapphire said quietly. She carefully placed her hand above his heart on his chest. In an instant, Silver's body dissolved in the water.

"SILVER!" Sapphire yelled in sorrow. "No! Don't die!" she scooped a little of the river water into her hands.

"It's okay, Sapphire," some of the fighters said, standing on either side of Sapphire. "Silver died, but I guess he was able to come back to life and be splatted by the water. Remember that his body dissolved and his soul is right there?" they said, pointing up a little. Phoenix and Thalia seemed to smile.

Sapphire slowly glanced up. Above her was a silver-colored soul with tired eyes. It was smiling as it rose up into the sky and floated into the direction of Tentatique City. Sapphire started sweating.

"...Uhh, yeah... I knew that..." Sapphire mumbled, standing up from the river bank.

Behind Sapphire, Thalia hugged her tightly. Sapphire turned around and hugged the smaller and shorter octoling tightly.

"Sapphire, it's okay. It must be hard going through that. We understand, Phoenix tried to comfort her. "But at least Silver is still alive..."

"...Okay... Thanks, guys..." Sapphire said softly and sniffed. She rubbed her eyes and picked up her weapon. "So... Our next mission is to..." Sapphire stood there silently, her thoughts lost on what to do next. Even Thalia looked up at Sapphire with her intrigued blue eyes.

"We'll go attack from the front of their camp," a quiet voice said from the trees.

Sapphire looked up towards the many trees. Stepping out from the shadows was Silver. He held his sniper under his arm. He had a tired look in his eyes, and he was rubbing his back.

"...Silver!" Sapphire yelled in relief. She dropped her Roller and ran into Silver's arms. Being a bit tired and unexpected, Silver got pushed onto the ground along with Sapphire. Phoenix and Thalia ran and caught up with them and smiled. Thalia was jumping around, filled with excitement and relief.

"..." Silver said nothing. He only relaxed against the clean grass and looked up at Sapphire who was on top of him.

"Sorry!" Sapphire quickly said and got off of him. The other fighters began to surround them.

Silver sat up against the tree trunk and rested. Sapphire stood up with the other fighters. One of the middle-aged fighters stepped forward.

"Hey, Silver, may I ask something?" the adult female asked with a confused look. Silver nodded.

"...You clearly died. Your soul rose out of your body while it was still intact. Then, your soul went back to your body. How in the world could you possibly come back to life? They say that once the soul leaves the body while it is still intact, a person dies. But your soul came back..." the woman said in an astonished tone.

"...Determination?..." Silver answered questioningly. "I don't know... All I felt after I passed out was being extremely tired..."

"...I guess you stayed determined to live..." the woman said as she stepped back.

"Yeah... I guess so..." Silver chuckled slightly. He got up to his feet and picked up his sniper. "Well, I guess we can go now. I'm ready."

With the help of Sapphire, Silver slowly stood up. He smiled at his group of fighters and back at Sapphire. "...Well, I guess I can always find a way to come back, huh..." Silver chuckled. The army and Sapphire smiled.

Thalia innocently wrapped her arms around him tightly. She giggled and looked up at Silver with a bright, enthusiastic expression.

Silver giggled and hugged Thalia back. As they let go, Thalia ran back to Phoenix.

"Let's go," Silver said louder and more determined. "We were able to push them back. But the mountain will be infested with thousands of them. But I believe we all can do it."

"Woomy!" the army yelled with confidence, raising their weapons in the air.

Silver smiled as Sapphire hugged him. What he saw was a true result of companionship between his people and leader. It did not matter that there were octolings on the team, which were the first signs that inklings and octolings could work together. Even with their strength, there was still an unknown danger ahead, something that the Squids could possibly turn around to their favor. While the opportunities were endless, Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and their army went on across the plains to the base of the mountain, ready to advance into the Octarian-stolen territory.

* * *

Soon, Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix were at the foot of the mountain. As Thalia looked up, she saw rocky cliffs jutting out from the side of the mountain as well as dark caves and decently-sized platforms.

Sure, it seemed like a long way up, but being close to midnight, traversing up the mountainous pathways would still keep them awake, along with the fear of being killed in reality. Their world was no longer a game, as the fighting proved, many had died recently in the past few weeks. It had turned into a horror of a reality, their own physical makeup, ink, turned into dangerous ammunition. Their bodies were turned into human-like qualities. The fear of blood and injuries posed a threat on both the Squids and the Octarians.

But why would the Octarians take on the challenge of corrupted ink and a human-like physique? Was it because of cockiness and overconfidence? Or were their minds clouded with absolute hatred and a desire for revenge?

At least there was a cluster of Octarians who disagreed with what the Octarian leaders' beliefs. But if there were a group of Octarians believed opposite, why were there no revolutions or rebellions? Maybe they were too lazy. Maybe every aspect of their lives were controlled by officials.

But only the Octarians knew. Their information was not shared yet. But the way that the Octarians who were battling and shooting Silver's army seemed to imply that the Octarians were geared to be fighting against the Squids.

As Silver sniped an Octarian off a cliff, he continued to tag behind the army and let Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix lead. After all, he was a sniper.

Then, he felt power surge through his body and his weapon. Smirking, he rushed to the front of the army and released his Bomb Rush. After he finished his special attack, which was accompanied with an Inkstrike and a Killer Wail, the opposing group began to retreat, for its Octarian members were injured.

Some of the Squids gave each other high-fives. Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix surrounded Silver.

"That was easy," Phoenix said.

"Well, that was only the foot of the mountain. We still have an entire mountain and the summit to clear," Sapphire sighed. "It'll only get more difficult."

"But we're strong enough!" Thalia said energetically.

"Yeah," Sapphire only smiled at Thalia.

Then, Silver's phone started to ring in his pocket. He caught his sniper in his other hand, yanked his phone out of his pocket, and answered the call.

"SILVER'S ALIVE!" Chloe's voice yelled through the phone.

"Alive?" Marie questioned. Then, her audio through the phone seemed to pick up Callie cursing for dropping the phone on a rock.

"Hey, Silver," a feminine, smooth, and sexy voice was heard. Sean's laughter was heard in the background telling Clarisse to cut it out.

It was a call among the four Squid groups on the mountain. Silver was glad that he did not put the phone up to his ear.

"...Who is that, Sean?" Silver questioned after thinking for a little bit. "...Sounds really familiar..."

"You don't remember me, Silver?" Clarisse asked. "Maybe a makeout session will help."

"Hahaha, stop it, Clarisse," Sean said in between laughing.

Everyone laughed except for Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix.

"Oh, hello, Clarisse," Silver slowly greeted into the phone.

"Um, who's Clarisse?" Thalia questioned quietly to Phoenix.

Sapphire was silent. She had an irritated expression painted all over her face.

"Well, aside from being sexy for Silver-senpai, I brought back some Octarian refugees who want to fight alongside us," Clarisse giggled.

"Yup, she brought back so many Octarians fighters," Sean added.

Silver looked at Sapphire. "That's great, Clarisse. Nice to see you again..."

"Oh, Silver? ...I-Um... Can I talk to Sapphire?" Clarisse said slowly and a bit nervously.

"...Sure," Silver said. "Privately?"

"Yeah."

The phone audio sounded as if Clarisse disconnected from the call. Sean joined soon after. Silver nodded at Sapphire who took out her own phone. It was already beeping from Clarisse calling her.

"...What do you want?" Sapphire said quietly as she held her phone up to her ear.

"Sapphire... Um, I'm sorry for trying to take Silver from you," Clarisse said very quietly. She found it humiliating to apologize to another female about a boy like Silver, but she thought it was necessary in order to diminish the tension between her and Silver and Sapphire.

"..." Sapphire did not answer right away. "You think it's that easy?"

"Yeah..." Clarisse answered, almost dropping her phone.

"...How old are you?" Sapphire questioned.

"Same age as you. Fourteen. Just a few weeks older. But Silver's older than me, though."

"Did you go to Takoroka Middle School?" Sapphire asked another question.

"...Yeah..." Clarisse answered.

"Why didn't we see you before, then?"

"Because I was lonelier and more of an introvert than you and Silver." Clarisse started to giggle over the phone.

"...Why are so sexual, perverted, and lustful?" Sapphire decided to ask one more question.

"...Well, as they say... The more introverted I am, the more perverted I become..." Clarisse chuckled slightly at the end.

Sapphire laughed along with Clarisse. Even young Thalia who was standing next to Sapphire giggled as well.

"Did you really have a crush on Silver?" Sapphire asked casually. She did not seem to care that she hated Clarisse anymore.

"Yeah..." Clarisse said slowly. "He was really... Admirable..."

Sapphire could imagine Clarisse blushing. "You're pretty interesting, Clarisse." Sapphire smiled as she began to understand Clarisse more.

"I can be more interesting if you want, Sapphire," Clarisse said in a seductive voice. She was hoping for the best.

"..." Sapphire thought for a moment. Then she sighed with a smile. "...Fine, Clarisse. If somehow, we get through all of this, we'll invite you over for a few nights. We can have _fun_ then." Sapphire seemed to laugh. "But for now, we gotta work together."

Clarisse giggled innocently. "Thanks, Sapphire-san," she said as she hung up. In the group call, Clarisse grabbed the phone from Sean and yelled. "Thank you, Silver-senpai!"

"Um, thanks for what?" Silver asked confused.

Sapphire put her own phone back in her pocket. "Silver, I agreed that we would let Clarisse stay with us for a few nights to have fun with us if we ever get out of this war."

"Oh..." Silver said. A red-colored hue gradually appeared on his face and cheeks. He smiled. "You're welcome, Clarisse."

"Anyway, back to what we were talking about," Aidan said, chuckling at Clarisse. Sapphire, Thalia, Chloe, and the Squid Sisters giggled as well.

"Yup. So, Sean and Clarisse come in from the South, the Squid Sisters from the East, and Aidan and Chloe from the West. Am I correct so far?" Silver stated a review.

"True," Aidan said. "Chloe and I are past halfway up the west side currently."

"We're already at a good vantage point for us to spy and fight," Callie said. "I don't know what's taking so long. It was easy!"

"Well, you guys got the grassy and hilly side of the mountain. Of course it's easy," Chloe said over the phone.

"Well, we just arrived at the south exit of the tunnel and we were about to climb up," Sean said.

"Okay, so that leaves us with at minimum time an hour or so?" Silver said. He checked the time and looked up at the dark night sky. "About 11:30, we'll group call again. But for now, anyone who get up there before time should keep watch, stay hidden, and heal."

"Yup. We're good. Especially when Tentatique is sending fighters to our armies almost every five minutes," Clarisse added.

"...I don't think we would have done all of this quickly if it weren't for Thalia and Phoenix," Silver said as he smiled at the two octolings.

The two octolings smiled as they heard words of praise come through the phone speaker. Thalia giggled and hugged Silver as a way of thanks. Silver stayed quiet, but he ruffled her hair and playfully nudged her back to Phoenix.

"...Well, we'll see you guys in an hour..." Silver said slowly. "...I'm sure this isn't the end, but we still have to keep going even if we're nowhere close to the end. You guys, understand?"

"Yeah!" everyone said determinedly through the phone.

Silver and Sapphire smiled as everyone hung up simultaneously.

"Well, it's getting late, but we have to continue. We'll take breaks along the mountainside, but can you guys be ready for a big fight?" Silver turned to his army and asked in a loud voice.

"YEAH!" the army roared.

Silver nudged Thalia and smiled at her to say the last words. She smiled back and cupped her hands to her mouth.

"LET'S GO!" Thalia yelled.

"WOOMY!" the army responded enthusiastically.

And with that, Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix led the army up the north side of the mountain. Their army was even larger and more powerful now that more people were recruited to the group. Nearing closer to midnight, the restless army continued forth, determined to win their cities and culture back.

* * *

"Hey, Michael?" Amy questioned. She looked up at him from leaning on his shoulder.

"Yeah, Amy?" Michael looked down at her. His arm was around her waist.

"...Do you think Silver and Sapphire are okay?" Amy asked slowly.

"Of course they're okay. They're capable of taking care of themselves and fighting. They beat DJ Octavio not to long ago, and they breezed through all that," Michael chuckled.

"..." Amy thought for a while. "You're right, Michael... Sorry I was overreacting," Amy nestled herself under his chin.

"No, I understand. Both of our marriages were destroyed because Samuel and Susan were killed. I truly understand how hard that is..." Michael said as he looked at the sand.

"...Maybe they'd want us to... M-Marry..." Amy stuttered.

"...I was about to say that..." Michael laughed after a while.

It was a Tuesday evening now, and Amy, Silver's mother, and Michael, Sapphire's father, were sitting on Takoroka Beach. They did not have a lot of experience battling, so they did not join the armies to fight against the Octarians. Additionally, they were housing three people: Hank, Carter, and Sophia.

The last message that Hank got from Sean was that they were staying in Silver's parent's house. With their address, which was given by Sean, Hank took Carter and Sophia to the house in search of Silver, Sapphire, and everyone else, but met Amy and Michael who informed them that everyone was in Tentatique City ready to fight. This was only a few hours ago.

Now, Amy and Michael were resting on the beach, sitting against a sturdy leg of a short, wooden lifeguard chair. They were watching Hank, who was overseeing the two slightly younger inklings play around in the sand. Occasionally, Hank would let them swim in the calm ocean water when he determined that the chemical that turned them to human was in effect. For the first time in their life, Carter and Sophia felt real water. The salt water that the original Squids had once been living in. It was unusual seeing squids swim in the water, but even though they had evolved to get hurt in the water, it only seemed more natural.

Hank would only let Carter and Sophia in the shallow part of the ocean. Immediately after they showed any faint signs of pain, Hank would wade in the water and fetch them out of the ocean to play in the sandcastles they had made earlier. To Amy and Michael, it was relaxing seeing inklings play in front of them. It brought a sense of playfulness and relaxation in the current times of war and conflict.

"Remember when all four of us met in Inkopolis so many years ago?" Michael started to reminisce.

"Yeah, I was a shy one back then..." Amy added quietly to add more emphasis on her timidness.

"Back then?" Michael laughed. "Stop talking like you're in your seventies. All four of us met, befriended, and married in that short span of over ten years."

"Haha, you're right. We're still in our twenties," Amy laughed along with Michael.

"But remember over ten years ago..." Michael started as gazed at the sunset setting below the horizon. "Remember what Samuel said? The four of us acted as if we were in a polyamorous relationship, but we decided it was a bit immoral and might lead to conflict. But, at the end of that day, Samuel said, 'Whatever happens, whoever we choose, we'll all still love each other. In my mind, if my girlfriend loves another of you, it won't matter, because we all still love each other.' He made the 'We all still love each other,' stand out the most.

"Yeah... I feel like Susan and Samuel _would_ want us to marry if they were gone..." Amy said.

"...You know what?" Michael asked Amy while picking at the particles of sand.

"Yeah, Mike?" Amy responded calmly, predicting in her mind what he was going to ask.

"Will you marry me?" Michael said bluntly and seriously.

Amy's prediction was correct. "Of couse, Michael... After all, we're the last half of that friendship from long ago..." Amy said, smiling up at him.

"There you go again, implying that we're old," Michael chuckled.

"I don't know. What other words or phrases should I use?" Amy shot back with a smirk.

"Miss Amy? Mr. Michael? Can you take a look at this?" Then, they heard Hank's voice calling to them from the water's edge. As they looked towards the three kids, they noticed they were huddled around a seemingly humanoid and dark fuchsia-colored skin tone. The sunset gleamed off of his golden headgear.

Amy and Michael decided to stand and take a close look. When they caught sight of what the kids were seeing, they almost had a murderous and killing intent. In front of Amy, Michael, and the children was DJ Octavio in his human forme.

"...DJ... O-Octavio?!" Amy stuttered a bit for she was dumbfounded and amazed.

The two adults knelt beside the Octarian King. Sophia, who had no idea who DJ Octavio was, started to jump on him.

"No, Sophia! Don't do that!" Hank said. He and Carter lifted her off DJ Octavio. She didn't resist, because she still didn't know his identity.

"Who is that?" Sophia questioned.

"Sophia, that's the big meanie guy that Silver and Sapphire fought when they first got here," Hank started to explain so that she would understand.

Because Sophia jumped on DJ Octavio, it made him regurgitate a little bit of water. Everyone watched with interest as DJ Octavio started coughing up water.

DJ Octavio slowly opened his eyes, and he gradually sat up from his laying position on the sand. DJ Octavio was in his humanoid forme and had dark fuchsia hair. His skin color was no longer dark fuchsia, but turned into slightly colored. His arms had the neon green X's that were found in his Octarian forme. His neon green, piercing eyes changed into a vivid, calming green color. He was medium built and was slightly tall.

As DJ Octavio saw the five squids, he jumped back in fear and raised his hands up defensively. "Please, don't hurt me." He inched away, closer to the water.

"...Huh?" Michael asked. He didn't believe what DJ Octavio was saying at first. He cocked his head to one side and held his confused expression.

DJ Octavio clenched his eyes shut. His wrists were now touching the salty water.

"...Um... Aren't you supposed to kill us?" Hank asked slowly.

"That's right!" DJ Octavio said as he stood up quickly and reached behind him, seemingly for a gun that would be hooked onto his belt. Confused, he started patting himself.

"Where's my gun?!" he said enraged. Then, he had a moment of realization.

"OH! THAT LITTLE DICTATOR GENERAL HAS IT!" DJ Octacio said furiously.

"...Dictator General?" Amy asked slowly.

DJ Octavio sighed. "If only Silver and Sapphire were here... I'm sure even my two major enemies would listen..."

"...We're their parents," Amy and Michael said at the same time.

"...Oh... Um... Could you guys please try to listen to me? I'm sure you all are as compassionate as your children," DJ Octavio seemed to have a laughing expression implied by his big smirk.

"Yeah, sure," his parents and Hank replied. Carter and Sophia listened in.

"Well, to put in simple terms, it's like an overthrow of my own government. My general sides against me and calls me weak, he releases me in the ocean while I'm knocked out, and takes my weapons, and my status as King. He should burn and rot in hell. It was only now I realized..." DJ Octavio seemed serious about what he was saying.

"Realized what?" Hank asked.

DJ Octavio looked down at Hank with a glint in his green eyes. "That my general was the whole problem. He just wanted to be King and overthrow you guys. What did I want to do? I just wanted to be a cool, rhythmic, and unique villain that no person has ever seen before. I wanted to be an awesome villain who would be stuck in a snowglobe for his life! It was all for a comical reason. To entertain all the gamers of the world with an interesting end to a story mode."

"But no... It wasn't until he started beating up that poor girl and expelling me from the Octarian nation that I realized it wasn't all fun and games anymore," DJ Octavio said irritably. "We need to kill him."

Then, DJ Octavio started to cough up more water. He turned away and coughed the water into the sand.

Michael cautiously patted DJ Octavio on his back. He looked up at Michael. "I don't know why I have water inside my body. I should have been splatted by water."

"...Do you want to rest at our home?" Michael asked quietly.

"Sure... But I need to tell Silver and Sapphire. Whether they kill me or not," DJ Octavio said.

"Um... Just rest at our place and we'll send you to where they are afterwards... I guess," Amy said quietly. She found it awkward talking with the former King of the Octarians.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," he returned to a rhythmic dialogue. "IMMA DUBSTOMP YOU INTO OBLIVION, SHADOW!" DJ Octavio shook his fist and threw a wasabi from his pocket into the ocean as he yelled towards Inkopolis.

Carter and Sophia laughed at DJ Octavio while Hank, Amy, and Michael simply smiled at him. Amy, Michael, and Hank helped him up and guided him as he limped towards the beach parking lot past the boardwalk. Carter and Sophia left their sandcastles where they were and followed everyone to the car.

* * *

It was now exactly thirty minutes until midnight. Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix were now camped in the dense forest with Silver scoping out the area. The very top of the mountain was just the roof of a cave. It was a natural-formed cave that was really large. It took up the center of the mountain. There were three floors with the central area empty. Casualties were reported of people falling down the center, but the Octarians were smart enough not to kill themselves that way.

Silver looked to the left to see Aidan and Chloe, two little, tiny specks leading their army to hid behind a cliff of rock, which was the west wall of the top floor of the cave. To the left was Callie and Marie, hiding in the treetops. It was not really a well-planned hiding spot because Silver saw that their trees were stained silver, but it had to do for now. The cave itself was on a relatively flat layer of the mountain. It provided enough space to run decently far and fight.

All he had to do now was check up on Sean and Clarisse. He pulled out his phone and dialed for a group call.

After a few short seconds, everyone answered.

"Hai, senpais," Clarisse said through the phone.

"Hi, guys," the other two groups greeted.

"Right on time, are we?" Silver asked.

"Yeah. We're right on the other side of the top of the mountain. There's another opening to the cave on this side. But there's no one in the cave opening," Sean started to explain.

"The front of the cave is empty too," Silver said. "I'm pretty sure they're still in there, but they're hiding out of sight."

Then, the call started to ring, saying that someone requested to join the call. It was Sheldon. Silver, the host of the call, accepted the request, and Sheldon joined the call.

"Hey, how are you all doing?" Sheldon greeted all four groups with his nerdy, deep voice.

"Great," Silver answered for them.

"This is going to be short, but I'm sending a new fighter specifically to your group, he's gonna be a handful, but helpful," Sheldon said. "Bye," he said as he hung up.

Before Silver could say anything he heard someone land in the area next to a beacon. "Greetings, slimy little hipsters. The King of the Octarians is here!" said a voice in a rhythmic tone.

Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and the army turned around behind them to see DJ Octavio standing arrogantly behind them. There was a playing smirk on his lips.

"...Well, I'm not exactly the King anymore," DJ Octavio muttered.

Thalia and Phoenix looked at each other nervously before bowing deeply before DJ Octavio.

"Oh, don't show royal respect to me. I'm not your king anymore," DJ Octavio walked towards them. "If you see him, bow to General Shadow and wiggle your tiny butts at him."

Thalia suddenly burst out laughing at DJ Octavio's comment. She wiggled her butt at him and made a farting noise with her mouth.

"Idiot. I'm not General Shadow," DJ Octavio smirked as he playfully flicked her forehead. Thalia giggled as she rubbed the spot where he flicked her.

DJ Octavio walked up to Silver and smirked. To Silver, seeing the DJ again gave him chills. The person who tried to prevail against him and Sapphire in Octo Valley. The person who they locked inside a snowglobe. Standing before them as if they were casual friends.

"Hey, Silver? Gimme that phone," DJ Octavio said as he snatched the phone out of Silver's hands. Silver naturally became defensive.

"HEY, LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS!" DJ Octavio greeted quite loudly into the phone.

"...Hi..." DJ Octavio was given back small and quiet responses of "Hi."

"You all listen carefully, okay?" DJ Octavio requested. He started, not caring if they did not want him to start yet.

"If there are a lot, and I mean A LOT, of Octarians and octolings, chances are that the towns that they captured AND Inkopolis have no more Octarians residing in them. If this happens, just send everyone back to Kettle City and Firefin Town," DJ Octavio explained. "That's all. Now let's fight!"

DJ Octavio pulled out a weapon. It looked like a Splatling gun except it was all black and sharp. Its outline was clear, and the body of the gun was shiny. There was a chain of rounds of bullets hanging from the gun to a container fastened at DJ Octavio's waist.

"I got my ancient weapon with me," DJ Octavio snickered. "It'll really dubstomp them into a bullet oblivion."

Silver and Sapphire stared at the weapon with interest. It seemed like something that would cause mass casualties.

"So the plan is that if there are a multitude of Octarians, we leave our armies to lead themselves and fight against them so we could go regain control of Inkopolis and the other two cities?" Silver asked for clarification.

"Yeah," DJ Octavio said into the phone so everyone would hear. "All of you, assign a leader to each of your groups. Then, if things look the way that I predict, we'll go back to Tentatique and fly to Kettle City."

"Okai, we got it!" Clarsse said. "We'll go adv-"

Clarisse was interrupted by inkfire whose sound boomed through the phone speakers. Then, Clarisse and Sean's call was cut off. Then, everyone disconnected from the call.

Silver immediately put his scope to his eye and looked around. After a few seconds of seeing nothing, Silver saw a silver-colored Inkstrike attempt to hit the cave. Then, like a messy ocean wave, many Octarians filed out of the cave entrance and stood on the flat elevation section.

One of the octolings decided to randomly chuck a Splat Bomb to his right. It fell off of a sturdy cliff to the west of the mountainous platform. As it exploded, Aidan, Chloe, and their group were already advancing towards the enormous group of Octarians on the mountain.

"Go!" Silver commanded his army. A few short-ranged but powerful fighters decided to go ahead and assist Aidan and Chloe's army.

Silver stepped up to the very edge of the forest line. He started to climb the tree and went to perch on the branches. There, he started to snipe any Octarians who were dangerously too close to the edge.

"Hey, DJ? I'm gonna go check on Sean and Clarisse. Can you keep the other three safe?" Silver requested and tapped DJ Octavio's shoulder.

"Of course, squiddo. Anything to assist in beating those traitors," DJ Octavio smirked. Then, he started to charge and fire his bullets from his ancient weapon, the gatling gun while keeping an eye out for Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix, as well as the entire army.

* * *

It had been a few minutes since Silver left his army. Now, he was almost to the other side of the mountain. He passed behind Callie and Marie's army, who was still camping out in the trees eating ice cream and cake, to say hi. The minute he left them, someone got sniped down from a tree, and then he smiled, hearing Callie and Marie take charge to lead their army into battle.

Along the way, Silver switched his weapon from the Splatterscope to the Blaster. He clutched the Disruptor in his hand and realized that he's never used a Disruptor with CI-220 in effect. He began to silently make his way around the top of the mountain, trying to catch no attention.

After walking for a few more minutes, Silver caught sight of Sean and Clarisse fighting for their lives, along with a handful of Squids and Octarian refugees.

Deciding to help, Silver threw a Disruptor at the opposing army of Octarians. Sean and Clarisse looked surprised and jumped back from the thrown Disruptor, thinking it was an enemy's. Then, Silver stepped in front of them and took out the first five people that he poisoned with a blaster.

"Are you all okay?" Silver asked the two in between waves of Octarian fighters.

"Yup, we're fine!" Clarisse said and smiled at Silver.

"Guys! Help me!" Sean said desperately as he continued to shoot silver ink at the Octarian army, which seemed to get larger by the second.

Clarisse joined Sean in fighting back while Silver retreated. He set up a Killer Wail, and sent it at the cave.

Silver and Clarisse and Sean's army clamped their hands over their ears as the Killer Wail hit through the cave. After the Killer Wail stopped, all was silent. As Silver, Sean, and Clarisse looked back to the higher parts of the mountain, they saw an even more enormous group of Octarians come out of the cave entrance all protected with Bubble shields.

"..." Silver was silent. He wasn't expecting that to happen.

"Silver? I think it's time to go back to Kettle City," Thalia said quickly as she watched as her army and the opposing Octarian army clashed in battle.

"Yup... Come on, Sean," Silver said, dumbstruck. The multitude of Octarians that came out from the back entrance seemed like it was a whole city of fighters. He could only imagine at the moment how many more Octarian fighters were at the front of the mountain cave.

"What about our army?" Sean asked worriedly.

"They can fight against the Octarians. Put one person in charge. The faster we can regain Kettle City and Firefin Town, the more likely these fighters will make it out alive from this mountain," Silver quickly explained.

"Okay, but who do we put in charge?" he asked.

"Got it done," Clarisse said after finishing talking with an adult squid.

"...Okay then..." Sean sighed.

"Hold on to my hand," Silver said. Clarisse stood on both sides of Silver and held his hands. In an instant, they were all teleported back to the forest line at the north of the mountain where Silver's girlfriend and the exiled Octarian and octolings were fighting.

* * *

"Come on! We gotta go!" Sapphire yelled into the phone while SIlver aimed up with his Splatterscope and used his sniper's line of sight as a beacon for the others to come.

"We're here," Chloe panted behind them, nearly scaring them.

"Us too," Callie said, still cheerfully as she delicately placed down another beacon by a tree.

"Okay. We have until early morning to get to Kettle City and Firefin Town. We gotta get there quick in order to take back most of Inkopolis. I assume that all the fighters who conquered those two cities were sent here to fight. It's like their plan was turned against them by us," Silver explained.

"That nerdy weapon designer will definitely have us get there quickly," DJ Octavio said.

"Okay, then. Let's go! Quick!" Silver said swiftly as he stood in the middle of everyone.

"WOOMY!" Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, Chloe, Aidan, Sean, Clarisse, the Squid Sisters, and DJ Octavio exclaimed as the put hands in the middle. Silver instantly transported them back to the safety of Tentatique City, just a few miles north of their spot on Mount Pique. Their courageous armies continued to fight with the unsuspecting Octarian forces in the mountain.

* * *

"That was an excellent observation, Silver!" Sheldon praised Silver as he dialed on his own phone for a private, small airplane in Tentatique Airport.

Silver and his companions were all standing around a desk in the Tentatique Labs with Sheldon. Currently, he was contacting the local airport to have an express flight back to Kettle City.

"Hey, Silver!" Chloe said, catching his attention. She waved a capsule in the air. "I just realized that we never used these."

"Oh, the teleportation capsule?" Silver raised an eyebrow. He took out his pair and rolled them around in his palm. "Well, that can be helpful. Saving it for a time that you really need it is a good strategy.

"Oh, okay Silver," Chloe said as she giggled at Aidan.

"...What's so funny?!" Aidan asked as Chloe continued to laugh.

"Guys, you have a flight scheduled for 12:15. That's about fifteen minutes. You think you all can get there on time?" Sheldon informed them as he hung up on the phone.

"Yeah. We just gotta hurry," Silver said, grabbing his belongings and waiting for everyone to follow him.

"Go ahead. I'll have to talk to the other officials to tell them of your plan," Sheldon said with a smile. "Good luck," he waved a salute.

Silver and a few others saluted back. He then led everyone running towards the local airport on the sidewalk. But, something he recognized for its unique color scheme stood out. It was leaned against the corner of the building of Tentatique Labs.

"...My bike! Thank you, Sheldon!" Silver exclaimed as a smile appeared on his and Sapphire's faces. Silver quickly got on the bike and started the engine. Sapphire climbed on and held on to him at his waist. Silver leaned forward and pressed his foot on the gas pedal.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU TWO SLIMY LITTLE CHILDREN GOING?!" DJ Octavio shook his fist in the air and yelled at them.

"Don't worry!" Sapphire yelled back. "This is faster!" Silver and Sapphire disappeared off into the distance of Tentatique City.

"...WHAT KIND OF METHOD IS THIS?!" DJ Octavio started to yell. "ALL YOU DID WAS LEAVE US BEHIND. THAT'S NOT FASTER. YOU ALL ARE SO STUPID AND ILLOGICAL. LITTLE HIPSTERS LEAVING US ALL IN THE DUST!" DJ Octavio continued to scream, not noticing that he was no longer on the sidewalk of a road.

"SILVER! I WILL KILL YOU!" DJ Octavio yelled up into the sky.

"Oh, that's nice," Silver said with a smirk.

"...Huh?" DJ Octavio said confused. As he assessed his surroundings, he realized. He was on the runway of Tentatique Airport.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA," everyone burst out laughing. Under DJ Octavio was a beacon set by Sapphire.

"Oh... heheh..." DJ Octavio chuckled.

"Welp, here we are! Thanks for flying us!" Silver got off his bike and headed for the plane that was next to them. He was talking with a Horseshoe Crab, which was presumably Sheldon's sibling or cousin.

"No problem," the Horseshoe Crab said as he hauled himself into the cockpit of the airplane.

Silver held out his hand to help Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix into the small airplane. Sean, Clarisse, Aidan, Chloe, DJ Octavio, and the Squid Sisters filed into the plane afterwards.

Silver looked out the airplane window to see outside, but the only things that he could see were the runway light beacons and the urban lights of Tentatique. He looked back at Mount Pique to see specks of color scattering the mountaintop, which were actually faraway Inkstrikes and Inkzookas.

"Buckle up, boring plane regulations, here we go guys!" the Horseshoe Crab pilot said over the intercom with a boring, but comical voice. The passengers giggled.

"Let's do this!" Silver glanced behind him at his companions and raised a fist mightily in the air.

"WOOMY!" the passengers all responded enthusiastically.

The plane rumbled to a start and began to taxi on the runway. In no time, the plane began to accelerate, and with enough speed and velocity, it elevated into the night sky.

Silver looked back at all his friends. Aidan and Chloe. Sean and Clarisse. The enthusiastic Squid Sisters. The octolings Thalia and Phoenix. The former King of the Octarians, DJ Octavio. Then, he looked at Sapphire. Sapphire turned to him and smiled. She nestled herself under his chin. Silver smiled and caressed her hair slightly. If executed correctly, Silver's plan could potentially save the Squids and rebellious Octarians from General Shadow and his army. But that was still a ways to go. Silver began to relax against the seat, tired from all the fighting he and his friends did.

* * *

 **Miss me? Probably not. I'M BACK. I'm really sorry. District Band, laziness, Spelling Bee, and procrastination all got to me. But that's all behind us now. I'M BACK.**

 **Welp, I'm glad to be back. I'll see you all in the next chapter, definitely going to come soon. I promise. :3**

 **Oh, and follow me for any updates for upcoming books. This book will come to a close soon, but I want all you readers to read the sequel and any other books I publish. Thank you all! Love you guys!**

 **~Aura-kun**


	16. Chapter 15: Recapturing Kettle City

The tired eyes of the leaders jolted awake as the plane made contact with the runway. Gradually, as tired yawns and exasperated groans turned into mumbles and chatter, the plane had taxied through the runway to connect with a passenger boarding bridge.

Silver pushed the plastic window shutters up. Right outside the window was the wing of the plane. He saw the bright, small beacons that outlined the runway, for it was still dark outside. Currently, it was early Wednesday morning. Before about six o'clock, presumably.

"Please unbuckle your seatbelt. Some more directions that most passengers don't listen to... And have a nice day! You can save us, heroes of Inkopolis!" the horseshoe said over the intercom. He was holding a microphone up to his lips, and he was standing in the front of the passenger section of the plane.

"Please exit the aircraft," his final remarks were uttered. Immediately as he said that, many of them stood up out of their seats and began to stretch.

Silver stood up with a tired Sapphire struggling to open her eyes leaning against her shoulder. He took his small backpack and made Sapphire wear hers. They decided to wait onboard until all of their friends were off. After DJ Octavio passed their row of seats, Silver and Sapphire stood up tiredly and began to make their way to the exiting door.

Before they exited the plane, Silver and Sapphire saluted and thanked the horseshoe crab pilot. They bent down and carefully shook his small hands.

"This is Kettle City?" Thalia exclaimed with surprise and slight disappointment in her tone. "So much has changed since we first ran through here a days ago.

"Thalia, this is just the inside of the airport. You'll see parts of the city you'll recognize once we get out of here," Phoenix said with a chuckle as he carried his backpack and Thalia's light-weighted belongings.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh..." Thalia said in a wavy voice, having an "Aha!" moment.

"Why aren't there any people here, though," Aidan asked aloud.

The group became silent. "I'm pretty sure no one's here because of the Octarians invading this area. If there really are no Octarians here, that means they're all fighting back at Mount Pique," Silver explained slowly.

"There should at least be a few Octarians here if their whole mission is to capture all of our cities," Chloe said, half in complaint. "They shouldn't be that stupid."

The group exited out of the empty airport and stepped out into the streets of Kettle City. Even with the technological and futuristic look of the buildings and roads, the whole city seemed to be deserted. All was quiet and eerie as everyone anticipated something to surprise them.

The beach where Silver tried to commit suicide was empty. The laboratory where the fighters were given their first teleportation capsules was empty. The house where Silver was nursed back to health after the destruction of Inkopolis was empty of its generous resident. It seemed as if everywhere the group went, they could not find any signs of life.

"Do you remember how to use the capsule, Silver?" Sapphire asked slowly and quietly as she tugged on his arm.

Silver shot a glare at her. "...What's your purpose in reminding me?..." Silver shot back at her almost inaudibly.

"Umm... I just wanted to make sure, Silver," Sapphire said a bit louder and calmer as she hugged Silver.

Silver hugged her back quickly and continued to lead the group through the barren city.

After a bit more than an hour of walking through the city, the group of fighters decided to rest in the middle of the city. In the middle of the city was the municipal center of Kettle City, which was surrounded by other city government buildings. From there, the four main roads of Kettle City branched out to the north, south, east, and west.

"...Hello?!" DJ Octavio cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled. His voice echoed throughout the entire empty central city.

After waiting for a response, which had no success, the group eased became less regarded of their surroundings.

They resorted to relaxing against the sturdy glass wall of a building. With the sun beginning to shed the morning light on the city, it seemed to be less eerie.

"Hey, Phoenix? What time is it?" Thalia questioned him.

"It's a little before seven o'clock," Phoenix answered as he glanced at the phone that was given to him by the militants at HakoForge Base at the request of Silver.

"It's so early," Thalia complained as she yawned and stretched her arms.

"Hey, Silver?" Aidan caught Silver's attention.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what the difference is between a Squid Beakon and a teleportation capsule?"

Aidan's question made Silver think for a while. "...Well, the beacons are more defensive. I guess they help a team regather behind the front lines. For the capsule, I can throw it into crowded enemy territory and surprise attack everyone."

Aidan looked confused. "Well, won't you get killed by the instant fire if you use the capsule?"

"Well, yeah... I hope the scientists were lying about that..." Silver muttered an answer.

Then, the group got quiet after a bit of small talk. All of them had the tacit, mental feeling that someone was silently watching over them.

"...Silver? I think you left our bike at Tentatique again..." Sapphire said quietly as she twiddled her thumbs.

"...Dammit..." Silver sighed and face-palmed.

"You guys need to take care of your personal vehicles, children," DJ Octavio said in a knowledgeable manner.

"Do you even have a personal vehicle?" Silver shot back at DJ Octavio.

"...Um, yeah! My floating robot DJ stage with speakers and lights is my vehicle! You know, the one you fought me in?" DJ Octavio chuckled sheepishly.

"That doesn't count," Sapphire started to laugh at DJ Octavio's method of transportation.

"Well, then I don't have another vehi-" DJ Octavio was interrupted by a gun shot. A millisecond later, he was tackled to the ground, where he heard a bullet drove itself into the clean asphalt.

"SNIPER! TAKE COVER!" Silver yelled out loud as they began to run inside the vacant building that was behind them. Silver, Sapphire, and Thalia hid behind a reception desk while the others took cover behind various booths and tables.

Another close sniper bullet shattered the glass doors of the building. It dented the back of the desk that the three were hiding behind. Thalia started to scream. Silver put his hand around her mouth and held her tight.

"Shh..." Silver cooed to the younger octoling. "It'll be alright... It'll be alright..." he said softly as he caressed her hair softly, trying to make her calm down. Sapphire smiled at Silver comforting Thalia.

"You'll make a great father," she giggled a whisper as she smiled at Silver.

Silver blushed and smiled. Phoenix quietly came over from wherever he was hiding with the rest. He joined the three behind the desk after he narrowly dodged a bullet that sped through the open building. Thalia whimpered and hugged Phoenix tightly.

While Silver and Phoenix were trying to comfort Thalia, who was crying and panicking into his shoulder, Silver held his E-Liter 3K Scope, which he rarely used, in his left hand. He was peering through the scope to find the hidden enemy sniper. He motioned for the other three to move to the back of the building.

Silver held the sniper firmly in his two hands. He began to search the skies of Kettle City, looking from the top of a building to another. For minutes, he searched precisely and carefully for the hidden sniper.

Just as Silver was about to give up, the shimmering, black metal of a sniper was seen. The mid-morning sunlight glared off the gun. The adult male Octarian presumably stood behind the sniper, for the brightness and the glare made vision difficult. Silver could sense his cold, killer eyes, waiting to shoot the life out of one of them.

It all happened in the void of frozen time. The sunlight reflected off the almost invisible bullet that was shot out of the enemy's sniper. Silver only heard the shot and the glimpse of light. He moved his body from under his E-Liter 3K Scope, but still held it in his hands.

The bullet, as fast as sound, drove itself through the scope of Silver's sniper. It then dented the floor behind him.

Silver heard gasps behind him. Before the enemy sniper could shoot him again, he sat way under the reception desk. He then inspected his gun. Along with the broken glass on the floor, he noticed that his scope had glass sticking out of it. He held the scope to his eye and saw Thalia through the hole waving from under a table.

His scope was totally broken. He couldn't use it that effectively anymore until Sheldon fixed it.

Anyway, Silver casually threw a Burst Bomb out into the streets as a distraction. As he ran back to the others, he heard his bomb splatter midair, for the enemy sniped it before it hit the ground.

"..." Aidan and Chloe only stared at his broken scope.

"We need to form a plan. He might not be the only one here," Silver sighed as he put his E-Liter 3K Scope behind him and took out his Custom Range Blaster.

"Hey, um Silver?" Thalia spoke up.

"Yeah?" Silver toned his voice down.

"How do you switch your weapons?" Thalia asked, trying to look behind his back.

"Hmm..." Silver mumbled as he looked behind him.

He saw nothing.

"...I have no idea..." he stuttered quietly. "Maybe your imagination!" he exclaimed, wiggling his hands in the air.

Thalia giggled and Phoenix smiled.

"So what's our plan?" Sean asked.

"...Oh hey, Sean!" Silver said with a smile. "You've been quiet the whole time. I'll give you the mission of sneaking up the building and surprise attacking him."

"WHAT? REALLY?!" Sean said excitedly. He ran to the back of the building and ran out to the streets with determination.

"...Okay then..." Silver giggled. "Chloe and Aidan, you go cover him from a good distance."

"Okay, got it," Chloe responded. She and Aidan went through the back door the way Sean did.

"Everyone else, follow me. We'll try to distract him from the tops of the buildings," Silver said.

Silver stood up and picked up his belongings and his blaster. Everyone did the same and headed for the elevator to the side of the building.

The elevator was large; large enough that it would fit seven people with remaining space. The walls of the elevator were made of mirrored glass, which allowed insiders to see outside and outsiders unable to see inside. DJ Octavio pushed the button labeled "Roof". The elevator began to shoot upwards at a very fast speed, but the support force wasn't felt at all.

In less than a minute, the elevator reached the top of the tall office building. A strong breeze swirled through, giving everyone chills as they crept out the elevator. As an advantage, the building that Silver and his friends were standing on was taller than the building that the enemy sniper was on.

Silver led everyone to the side wall of the roof. If he stood up, surely the enemy would kill him instantly. He resorted to barely peeking over the edge while telling the others to keep down.

What he observed was that the enemy was observant of absolutely all of his surroundings. He switched between all the sides of the roof, scanning everything as if he was programmed to.

"Geez. I forgot I assigned him to that mission. I guess I shouldn't have," DJ Octavio laughed.

Everyone face-palmed and sighed.

"What? You can't blame me," DJ Octavio mumbled.

"Sure," Silver responded bluntly. "Anyway, is it possible to shoot him from here?"

"I think. Someone just has to quickly aim and shoot when he's not looking this way," DJ Octavio explained.

"And when is that?" Sapphire questioned as she peered over the edge of the roof. She saw that the enemy spent at least ten seconds scanning from each side of the building.

"If you get up _quietly_ , and aim precisely, I bet you can kill him," Sapphire said.

Just then, the sound of the sniper being shot rang throughout the area. Silver and the others ducked down and stayed quiet. Callie and Marie poked their heads above the wall a bit. They saw the enemy sniper aiming intently at another building, where they saw the tips of Aidan and Chloe's purple and pink hair peek over the roof wall.

"Guys... The sniper is shooting at Aidan and Chloe!" Callie said quickly as she ducked back down.

Silver, Sapphire, and DJ Octavio peeked out from under the wall. Sure enough, Aidan and Chloe were hiding on a building north of them and the enemy as the enemy kept shooting above their heads.

Without thinking, Silver got out his Splatterscope and aimed at the enemy. Then, they saw Sean, the brown-haired inkling, appear from the stairwell, panting and sweating. He gave Silver and everyone a thumbs up and waved at them with his Carbon Roller.

Unfortunately, the enemy sniper heard Sean panting and breathing heavily. Instantly, the enemy opened his jacket and spilled grenades onto the roof. Reacting the only way he could, Sean tackled the enemy sniper off of the roof as the grenades exploded the roof of the building.

Everyone was speechless. Thalia started to scream. Silver switched his weapon to a Splattershot Jr. and swung his feet over the side of the roof.

"SILVER?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Sapphire yelled at him and grabbed his shoulders.

"Yes, I am. Everyone, just jump down with me. I have my Bubbler ready for when we reach the ground so we can land safely. We need to get to Sean quickly," Silver said as he casually jumped off the roof.

"Are you kiddi- FINE!" Sapphire yelled. She and a few others screamed as they threw themselves off the building.

"We all look like we're committing suicide! This isn't cool!" DJ Octavio shouted to the others while diving down through the air to reach the ground faster.

"Well blame Silver to be the suicidal one here," Sapphire muttered as she did the same thing.

"Wheeeeeeeee!" Thalia exclaimed as she leaned forward to go faster to reach the ground.

"Umm, we're getting close to the bottom. When is Silver gonna use the Bubbler?" Phoenix said nervously.

"SILVER! USE YOUR BUBBLER!" Sapphire screamed while her head was in her hands as she shot to the ground.

"SILVER!" everyone screamed.

Then, at about one hundred feet to the ground, Silver activated his Bubbler with a sigh, hearing his friends scream at him. The power of the Bubbler spread to everyone else in the air falling above him.

"Ahh, thank Zapfish..." Marie sighed in content as she relaxed in the air.

"Wait... How the Octo Valley are we supposed to land?!" Sapphire screamed.

"...Are you substituting Octo Valley for hell?!" DJ Octavio was infuriated as he waved his green wasabi sticks in the air. "It's not a hell! I make it a PARADISE for all my little Octarians! They love it there!"

"Have you even seen any of Octo Valley outside your little spaceship portal?" Phoenix retorted.

"Umm, yeah?..." DJ Octavio said hesitantly. Then he let out an ear-piercing, high-pitched scream with bulging eyes as he saw the pavement shoot up towards him.

Even seconds later after he landed, DJ Octavio kept screaming. He opened his eyes to see everyone staring at him and about to explode with laughter. Everyone landed in a decent-sized pool of ink that Silver shot at the ground before he landed.

"Dude... You scream like a girl..." Callie said in between snickering.

"Shut up..." DJ Octavio shot back and turned away.

"Come on! Maybe Sean is still in the air!" Silver yelled as he stood up and ran through the streets to the other side of the building whose roof was exploded to bits.

Everyone stood up and quickly followed Silver, remembering Sean and the enemy sniper who was tackled off the roof. Sure enough, as they rounded the corner, they saw the two fighting in the air as they fell.

Sean was clamping his hands around the Octarian's neck while the Octarian was kicking the teenager and slapping him in the face with his sniper. Because they were not diving down to the ground, they were still falling slower in the air.

Silver started running. "There's not enough time!" DJ Octavio cried out. "They're too far away!"

Silver sighed and clenched his teeth as he ran faster to the enemy and ally falling in the air. "Someone! Try to snipe the Octarian!"

Immediately, DJ Octavio and Marie took out their snipers. Marie had an E-Liter 3K while DJ Octavio took out his shiny, black sniper, similar to that of the enemy Octarian. Marie ran forward and began to charge her shot while DJ Octavio leaned against one of the building walls and started zooming in with his scope.

Just as Marie's silver line of sight met up with the enemy Octarian's head, she and DJ Octavio shot their bullets. As they put their guns down and looked up into the sky, they saw the enemy Octarian hang his head in defeat from suffocation from Silver and two shots to his head.

Sean had put the dead enemy's body under him as he looked down to Silver, who was far away, trying his best to run and lay ink for him to land on. Unfortunately, Silver was too far away with Sean nearing the ground at a high speed.

The sound of crushing flesh and the splattering of blood echoed throughout the area, making Silver shield his face while he ran to Sean. When Silver uncovered his eyes, he saw Sean slumped over the broken, bruised, and bloody body of the enemy Octarian. Silver ran over and lifted Sean off from the ground and leaned him against a building.

"Sean!" two strained voices yelled. Aidan and Chloe came bolting out the doors of a nearby building. They ran to him in a hurry. Chloe sat next to Sean and let him lean against her while Aidan began to talk to him and everyone else arrived.

"Sean! Can you hear me?" Aidan said in a clear, calming voice.

After a few seconds, Chloe and Silver saw Sean nod slightly. Sean opened his eyes painfully and looked up wearily at Chloe, Aidan, Silver, and the others.

"I'm fine..." Sean whispered slowly.

"No you're not. Sean, wake up!" Chloe cried, on the verge of crying.

"It's okay. He's still breathing and his pulse is normal..." Silver said to her, trying to calm her down as he finished checking on Sean. "He just has a few major injuries and is really tired."

"Major injuries?! That's still bad!" Chloe burst into tears as she wiped the enemy Octarian's blood off of Sean.

Silver didn't know what to say. He only looked at the sleeping and injured brown-haired boy and back at the limp body of the dead Octarian in its own blood.

The midday sun shone over the city, sweat and blood in the street. Everything was silent except for the occasional sniffling of Chloe and the faint gagging of Callie from looking at the deceased's Octarian's body and all the blood around it. But other than a highly injured inkling, the Squids finally won back Kettle City.

* * *

It was about three in the afternoon when everyone arrived back at Kettle City airport. Silver and Chloe were carrying Sean while Silver told Sapphire and Aidan to lead the way. Currently, the group made their way onto the runway with Thalia poking at Sean's forehead.

"Is he dead?" Thalia questioned in a small voice.

"No, Thalia," Silver said in a soft voice as he smiled at Thalia. He responded quickly so Chloe wouldn't yell back at the little octoling.

"Hey, Silver?" Sapphire called from up ahead. "Where's the plane?"

Silver and the others looked around. True to Sapphire's inquiry, there was no plane and its horseshoe crab pilot.

Then, they all heard the engine of a slightly larger plane. Everyone ran out of the runway so that the plane could land.

Minutes later, the pilot stepped out of the tiny cargo plane. He was the same pilot from last time.

"I'm glad to see you all back soo-" Sheldon's cousin gradually stopped talking as he saw Sean carried by Silver and Chloe.

"Umm... Is there a way that you could send these three," Sapphire started to ask as she pointed to Aidan, Chloe, and Sean, "back to Takoroka City so he could be hospitalized?"

"...Yeah, that's possible," the horseshoe crab smiled his nerdy smile.

"But what about going to Firefin Town?" Silver asked.

"You know, Silver," the horseshoe crab chuckled. "You should really take care of your Mach Bike instead of leaving it everywhere."

"HA! SEE?" DJ Octavio yelled at Silver with a gleeful attitude. "YOU GOTTA TAKE CARE OF YOUR LITTLE BIKEY-BIKE!"

Silver only stared at DJ Octavio menacingly.

"Your bike is in the back of the plane. You all can go drive the ferry to Firefin Town to the east. From there, you can go to Inkopolis," the horseshoe crab explained as he headed back to the cockpit.

Then, the back of the plane opened, and inside was Silver's silver and light blue motorcycle. As Silver rolled the bike out of the plane, he saw Aidan and Chloe carrying Sean to the plane. He stood his bike against the plane and went with everyone to send them off.

"Hey... I hope everything will turn out well for you guys and Sean..." Silver said quietly.

"Yeah... Me too..." Phoenix and the others agreed.

"Thanks guys... Keep going... We'll catch up as soon as we can," Chloe said with a half-smile.

And with that small goodbye, the three and the pilot headed into the plane. The plane started to taxi around the runway as the remaining group went to leave the airport. Everyone was already off the runway as the small cargo plane took off into the bright, sunny afternoon sky.

The ride to the docks on the west side of the plateau-island of Kettle City was unusually silent. DJ Octavio was driving the Squid Sisters and the young octolings in a car that Silver let him steal from the side of a road while Silver and Sapphire were speeding through the streets in their bike. Silver and Sapphire did not speak; everyone in the car did not speak. Not even DJ Octavio.

It is a correct assumption that everyone had witnessed the brutality of more experienced Octarians. Still, they had one goal in mind: to regain their rightfully owned cities and possibly cease the war between the Squids and the Octarians. They continued on, the fear of General Shadow's plans becoming more and more familiar as the days passed.

* * *

 **WOOOOOOOOOO**

 **...**

 **Um... Hai...**

 **Well... Many promises were broken. Upload on a weekday? Haha nope.**

 **Oh, and Happy Easter. Right now, it's 1:30 A.M., early morning the next day after Easter. I hope you enjoyed the candy, the egg hunts, the feasts, or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However you celebrate this holiday.**

 **And I PROMISE I WILL WORK ON THIS STORY. NO MORE PROCRASTINATION, EVENTS, OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITES I CAN WORK ON THIESFHLSAJHF LKJSHG LDJFLASG AGSFLIAGSLFIUEWGR &EFGKSEYGR*&#T(%*&) #T&*Q O*H**

 **I'm sorry... If I neglect this story again... You all can lock me in your closets and beat me to death...**

 **It's Easter break for me, so I'm gonna force myself to finish the next part before break ends.**

 **So what's up? Talk to meh I'm tired and lonely and I wanna hear you all.**

 **See you all soon. Thanks for keeping up with this book that will definitely not be quit on. It will be completed, and you all will say, "YAY NO MORE OF AURA-KUN!"**

 **Edit: It's already summer, and I graduated eighth grade as valedictorian. Thank you all for still sticking around, even if I haven't updated in a long time. ^_^ I have more time to write now.**

 **Goodnight. :3**

 **~Aura-kun**


	17. Chapter 16: The Art of Throwing Knives

It was already late in the afternoon when the remainder of the group boarded the ferry in the east docks of Kettle City. The shadows of the rocky plateau on which the city was founded on were cast on the docks. The ruins of the constructions of Hammerhead Bridge were seen in the distance, connected with tiny rails to the islands of Firefin Town and Kettle City.

"...Well... It sure is gloomy down here..." DJ Octavio tried to break the silence as he boarded the ferry.

No one responded to him. Silver let the octolings sit on his bike while everyone else sat inside or leaned on the railing of the small ferry. Silver was driving the boat even though DJ Octavio knew how to; he was just lazy.

Silver sat at the cockpit of the ferry, trying to be logical and figure out the controls. He was mad at DJ Octavio for being lazy and not teaching him how to drive the boat. Sapphire stood behind him, trying to learn with him and help him.

After about thirty minutes, Silver finally figured out how to drive the ferry. It budged forward out of the docks and started its way to Firefin Town.

"Finally!" DJ Octavio sighed loudly.

Unfortunately, Silver heard him. "Excuse me? You have no right to be jubilant, for you made the decision not to assist us in a time of urgency!" Silver yelled through the door.

"Dang..." Marie murmured as she twirled her thumbs.

Sapphire only stayed silent as Silver yelled. At least the ferry was on its way to Firefin.

The ferry ride to Firefin was slow and quiet. Everyone was still stunned by earlier events in the middle of Kettle City. The fear of being close to death like Sean was was still fresh in their minds. But maybe, everything was a little _too_ quiet.

About halfway of the journey across the water, Thalia was leaning over the railing staring down into the water. It was deep with a dark shade of blue.

"Hey, Phoenix? What are those?" she asked in a small voice as she pointed down to the water.

 **A/N: Omg please no. *hides shoes***

"..." Phoenix became silent as he stared down at the water seeing what Thalia pointed at.

Barely visible in the dark waters were multiple, large, circular dark objects. Faint red lights flickered on and off on the objects.

"Umm, Silver?" Thalia asked loud enough for Silver to hear out the cockpit. "Can you stop for a second?"

Silver granted her request and gradually slowed the ferry to the stop. In a few short minutes, Silver and Sapphire walked out of the cockpit.

"What's up, Thalia?" Silver asked as he and Sapphire leaned on the railing next to Thalia and Phoenix.

"What's that?" Thalia and Phoenix pointed to the water. Silver and Sapphire caught sight of the dark circular objects with beeping red lights, giving them a deep nagging feeling.

"Oh those?" DJ Octavio asked casually as he walked over to them. "Those are some bombs that we set in the water. Just to outsmart people who think they're smart." He smirked.

"So..." Silver took a while to comprehend. "You're saying that you ultimately set those bombs to outsmart yourself, who thinks that you're smart?"

"Umm, I guess," DJ Octavio shrugged. "Oh, and they stick to anything that passes by. And they detonate in ten minutes if not defused," DJ Octavio added.

"Are you-" Silver face-palmed and groaned. "So we have to go into the WATER and DEFUSE the bombs right now?!" Silver asked in an annoyed voice.

"Umm... Y-Yeah!" DJ Octavio tried to say enthusiastically as he leaned casually on the ferry railing.

"Then you go do it," Silver crossed his arms.

"...I don't really know how to defuse a bomb," DJ Octavio said in a small voice.

"..." Silver was quiet, and then he sighed. "Can you at least check how many bombs are in the water?"

"Fine," DJ Octavio agreed. He went to the back of the small ferry and laid himself stomach-down and hung his head over the side. After gulping for air, he plunged his head in the water.

In the dark, shadowy waters, all DJ Octavio could hear was the echo and faint vacuum-like of being underwater, as well as the dampened sound of the beeping of the bombs. He counted only two out of the five large bombs that stuck to the boat.

As he began to lift his head out of the water, he felt a shoe on his posterior, and it forcefully kicked him into the water.

Up on the ferry boat, Silver was dying with laughter with everyone else snickering as they saw bubbles and DJ Octavio's hands flail above the water.

When he pulled himself on board the ferry, all he could do is cough out water and breathe for air. He was used to breathing inside ink, but not inside water. He stared helplessly at everyone laughing at him.

"Do you all think that this is as satisfying as beating me before? You all are wasting time. The bombs will explode in about seven minutes!" DJ Octavio muttered as he coughed into the water.

"Absolutely satisfying," Sapphire said quickly and laughed. "But you're right. We need to get moving."

After everyone calmed down, they lined up in the back of the ferry, ready to get into the water, with the exception of DJ Octavio, who was exempt from the defusing of the two bombs underneath the ferry.

"...Umm... Does anyone know how to defuse a bomb?" Silver asked everyone.

Many of them shrugged their shoulders. "I don't know. I never went to middle school," Callie gave them an innocent smile.

Marie simply face-palmed.

"I know..." Thalia said quietly and raised her hand, having a shy expression on her face.

"You do? When?" Phoenix asked in a surprising manner.

"...Y-Yeah... Umm... It was when they took me in... When they... did those experiments on me and turned me into my human forme early," Thalia said the last party quickly and quietly. "They sent me on a mission to..." she paused, "near the portal kettle from Octo Valley to Inkopolis..."

"...W-What did you do _there_?" Marie stuttered out her question, realizing that Thalia was sent on a mission near where their grandfather, Captain Cuttlefish, was mysteriously killed.

"UMM..." Thalia coughed out and stuttered, trying to look away from Marie and Callie. "Before they sent me, they taught me basics: how to detonate, defuse a bomb, how to shoot a gun..."

"Oh, okay..." Phoenix said slowly, but something about Thalia wasn't right.

"Thalia?" Silver asked slowly, being reminded of the death of Captain Cuttlefish.

"What did you do there?" Sapphire asked slowly as well.

Thalia looked around at everyone nervously. She hated being the center of attention, whether it was good or bad. She gave up, and yelled at all of them.

"I KILLED CAPTAIN CUTTLEFISH, OKAY?" she screamed at everyone. She fell to a sitting position on the ground and buried her head in her arms.

Everyone was silent.

"...YOU WHAT?!" Callie screamed back at her after realizing what Thalia just said. There were tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Thalia shrinked back at the volume of Callie's voice.

"You did that?!" Phoenix said in a disheartening voice. "You should have told me that earlier!"

"But I didn't want to! You'd probably yell at me like you are now!" Thalia whimpered.

"No, I wouldn't!" Phoenix shot back.

"You were sent to kill Captain Cuttlefish?!" DJ Octavio asked in surprise as well.

Everyone looked at him as if he lost his memory. "I never allowed a mission of that sort to be executed!" DJ Octavio said to everyone in defense.

"...I-It wasn't you..." Thalia stuttered as she hid her face, on the verge of bursting into tears. "I-It was General Shadow! He told me to kill Captain Cuttlefish, Callie, and Marie!"

After realizing what she had just said, Thalia clamped her hand over her mouth. But unfortunately, it was too late to take back what she said.

"YOU WHAT?!" Callie wasn't her usual cheerful self anymore. "YOU KILLED HIM! AND YOU TRIED TO KILL US! MARIE!" Callie yelled in frustration at Thalia and Marie.

Marie was startled by the was Callie was talking. "...C-Calm down, Callie," Marie tried to get Callie to stop yelling.

Callie was not finished yet. She lunged at Thalia, ready to jab her with her gun. "WE CAN'T TRUST HER. WE CAN'T TRUST _THEM_!"

Just before Callie slung her gun at Thalia, Marie grabbed Callie's wrists and tried to prevent her from hurting Thalia while Silver stood in front of Thalia in defense of her.

"What are you doing?!" Marie shouted at Callie while she held her down. "If you're talking about trust, I feel like you're making us seem like the untrustworthy ones here! And there are no untrustworthy people here!"

"She... killed Gramps!" Callie cried, trying to escape Marie's grasp and give Thalia what she deserved.

"GUYS. YOU ALL BETTER SHUT UP. WE HAVE LESS THAN TWO MINUTES TO DEFUSE THE TWO BOMBS!" Silver's voice surprisingly echoed in the wide-open surroundings. His outburst was enough to silence everyone on the boat. He soon spotted a teleportation kettle near the entrance of the boat.  
"Come on. We gotta do this correctly," Silver said in a less irritated voice as he motioned for Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix to dive off the boat with him.

The four quickly headed to the back of the boat. Nervously and shyly, they all stripped off their outer clothing and threw them on the boat. Thalia shivered, feeling the coolness of the water rise to her bare skin. Phoenix looked down at the water and hesitated.

Sighing and gulping for air, the four of them dived into the salty water. The bombs were not as far away as they had expected. They were stuck to the rudder under the back of the boat where they jumped off. Each of the two bombs were at least one-fifth of the width of the boat. Its red, beeping numbers were most notable to the four friends.

Because of the properties of the water, the four knew that they had to finish in about two minutes or else they would get splatted by the water. The water would have washed the substance off them and eventually splat their incorrupt self. Fortunately, the ferry had a teleportation kettle at the entrance for them to return to, but the respawn time would be wasted time for defusing the bombs.

Thalia and Phoenix swam faster and arrived at the bomb farthest away from the diving point. She peered at the ticking bomb clock which read 01:17. Immediately, they opened the clock and started to fiddle around with the colored wiring.

Meanwhile, Silver and Sapphire were fumbling with how to open the bomb's clock after seeing Thalia do it from a few yards away. After they managed to get it open, the clock on the lid read 00:34. Panicking, the two helplessly held the wires between their fingers with no knowledge of the purpose of each color.

Soon, Thalia and Phoenix finished defusing their bomb and were swimming towards Silver and Sapphire as quickly as they could. With less than fifteen seconds remaining on the clock, Thalia flipped the clock open and started fumbling with the wires. Phoenix tried to help as much as he could, but there was only space for one person to perform.

It was the final five seconds. The four realized that they could not retreat in less than five seconds. Bracing for impact, Silver, Sapphire, and Phoenix curled up into a ball while holding their breaths.

It all happened in a seemingly frozen world.

Just as the clock reached zero the outer layer of the bomb began to split. Then, the energy inside the bomb was released, creating a lightning-fast, enlarging ball of fiery substances. The initial force sent Thalia, who was holding the final wire needed to be cut in her hand, outwards in the water. Because she was forced away from the bomb, she pulled the wire along with her. When the wire snapped, the bomb's explosion of energy and fire dissipated into the water.

When everyone realized that they were almost fully unharmed, they quickly swam up to the surface. As soon as Marie saw their head poke above the surface of the water, she called out to them while holding down Callie. The two were on the floor, affected a little bit by the incomplete explosion of the bomb.

"What happened?!" Marie called out to them while holding Callie back. Her hand was clamped over her mouth.

Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix dragged themselves onto the steel stern of the boat. They were all gasping for air, not being used to being under the _water_ for a longer time. Sapphire and Phoenix stayed back, the lack of air affecting them the most.

Silver crawled his way over to Thalia. Immediately, he noticed her slightly red hands. Very tiny streams of blood were seeping out of her hands. She was leaning on the side of the wall, staring down at them. She started to bite her lip so she could hold back her tears.

Silver went to his small backpack. Inside was his wrinkled, dry Art vs. Science Splatfest T-shirt from the midnight that the Octarians attacked Inkopolis. He tore of a large strip of it and returned to Thalia.

"...Thalia?..." Silver asked quietly.

Thalia looked up at him. Surprised, she saw him wrapping the piece of cloth around her slightly burnt hand. Silver had a warm smile, but it looked timeless with the glimmering water dripping off his face and hair. When he finished tying the piece of cloth, Sapphire, who just recuperated, brought a towel to Thalia, and Silver draped it over her cold, wet, bare shoulders and back.

Silver stood up and smiled at Sapphire. They started to head towards where Phoenix was laying unconscious from exhaustion.

Suddenly, Silver stopped walking abruptly. Thalia stood up quickly, the towel falling off her shoulders to the ground, and had caught Silver in a tight hug.

Silver really did not expect that embrace from Thalia. He saw her bandaged hand around his waist. He turned around and looked at Thalia. Slowly, he returned her embrace, hugging her tightly.

"Silver, you're the best big brother I ever had," Thalia said in a small, innocent voice. She smiled as she nestled her head on Silver's chest.

Silver only smiled at the younger octoling's words. Thalia really felt like a younger sister to him. Or even a child of him and Sapphire.

"Thalia, let's get our clothes on. I'm kinda getting uncomfortable. It's shivering cold, wet, and we're still in our underwear," Silver said in a sweet voice, trying to cease the growing awkwardness. He heard Sapphire snickering behind him.

"Okay, sowwy," Thalia released from the hug, giggling. "I'll go hug your girlfriend then."

And with that, Thalia approached Sapphire and wrapped her arms around her. Comfortable, she rested her head on Sapphire's chest.

Sapphire's face grew red from where Thalia was resting her head, but she became used to it. She began to caress the back of Thalia's head and kissed her forehead. When she looked up, she saw Silver observing them with a content smile. Sapphire nodded at him, and he nodded in response.

To Silver, Sapphire looked like a real parent, caring for her child. It was quite calming, considering the recent events in the world. He continued on to where Phoenix was and started to tend to him.

When Sapphire and Thalia were fully dressed, they took Silver's dry clothes with them and went to where Silver was tending to Phoenix.

Silver was kneeling next to Phoenix, who was curled up in a ball, sleeping. He was chuckling to himself after he found out what happened to Phoenix.

"Silver, what happened to Phoenix?" Sapphire asked while pulling her dry T-shirt over her head and body.

"Well, he fell asleep after passing out," Silver gave them a cheeky smile.

With a sudden lurching forward of the ground, the ferry continued to make its way to Firefin Island. Silver looked up and saw a glimpse of DJ Octavio piloting the boat from the faraway cockpit. The faint arguing of Callie and Marie could be heard all that way from the front of the boat. DJ Octavio looked back at Silver and gave him a thumbs up as he continued to speed the ferry up.

Thalia continued the conversation. "He passed out and then fell asleep? Isn't that the same thing?"

"Well, yeah..." Silver said, "but earlier, we saw him unconscious from exhaustion, and now he's sleeping like a little child. It's safe to say that he transitioned from that," Silver explained with a smirk.

"Gotta take care of Phoenix, okay?" Sapphire said with a teasing grin.

"O-Okay," Thalia tried to hide her embarrassment and laughed along with them.

"Oh, and here, Silver," Sapphire said as she threw dry pants and a shirt at Silver. "Get some clothes on. Or else I'll push you into the water."

"Okay. Geez," Silver sighed as he slipped his pants and shirt on swiftly. Thalia giggled at Sapphire's witty remark.

Silver struggled as he pulled Phoenix's body up from the floor of the ferry onto his back. The four then went to the front of the ferry to catch up with DJ Octavio, Callie, and Marie. But as they did so, they arguing became louder and more apparent. Silver decided to lay the sleeping Phoenix on a bench a bit further away so he wouldn't wake up to loud voices.

Silver, Sapphire, and Thalia hesitated as they passed DJ Octavio and headed to the front of the ferry, not knowing how Callie and Marie were doing.

* * *

"NO. SHE KILLED OUR GRANDFATHER. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!" Callie yelled before Marie silenced her with her hand again.

"..." Sapphire, Silver, and Thalia were silent. Thalia was hiding behind Silver, hesitant to look the Squid Sisters in the eye after what she did.

"Thalia was forced to. General Shadow ordered her to. Even DJ Octavio didn't know of her mission," Marie tried another of a million attempts to explain to her cousin that Thalia was manipulated.

"SHE COULD HAVE JUST RUN OFF TO INKOPOLIS LIKE SHE DID THE DAY OF THE ATTACK!" Callie bit on Marie's hand so she could yell again. "SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THAT GENERAL!"

"Well, at least we weren't killed!" Marie tried to show the brighter side.

"Yeah. BY THALIA! I BET IT WAS PART OF HER MISSION TO KILL US TOO! SHE SHOULD BE DROWNED FOR KILLING OUR GRANDFATHER!" Callie argued, giving Thalia a menacing look.

Then, Thalia started to cry. She leaned against Silver as tears began to trickle down her face, her bottom lip trembling.

"Look what you did!" Marie saw Thalia crying. "You made a little girl cry!"

"An OCTOLING GIRL!" Callie shot back at her silver-haired cousin.

"THAT DOES NOT MATTER!" Marie said in dispute.

"YES IT DOES" Callie yelled, ignoring any paths toward positivity. "FOR ALL WE KNOW, WE COULD BE LYING DEAD INSIDE THE DIRT RIGHT NOW!"

"..." Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix were silent. Even Phoenix woke up from the commotion caused by the Squid Sisters.

The arguing had lasted a very long time that everyone had their belongings and were ready to get off the boat. In less than five minutes, DJ Octavio would be docking the ferry to the Firefin docks on the island's beach.

Silver sighed as he rolled his Mach Bike to where everyone stood waiting to get off the ferry. As DJ Octavio docked the boat, Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix all ran off the ferry, wanting to get away from Callie as much as possible.

As they walked quickly along the wooden port, they heard the engine of the ferry shut down. Soon enough, DJ Octavio was following them with the Squid Sisters bickering in front of him.

"...IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP, I'LL LEAVE YOU ON THE BOAT!" DJ Octavio was irritated from the screaming.

"...That's a great idea! Come on, Callie we're going back!" Marie's face brightened up as she dragged Callie away from the others.

"BUT WHY?! WE CAME ALL THIS WAY!" Callie yelled. "IT'S _HER_ FAULT!" Callie screamed at Marie and burst into tears as she pointed at Thalia.

"You're the one who's yelling and causing all the disruption! You could have just handled it as best you could, like I did!" Marie retorted as she pulled her back to the ferry.

Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and DJ Octavio stood silently as they watched Marie drag the flailing Callie away. Marie look back while pushing Callie and gave Silver an apologetic frown. Silver noticed it and shook his head. Smiling calmly, he raised his hand and nodded his hand, indicating that he understood the situation.

The two cousins disappeared onto the ferry, but the sound of their arguing still has not yet ceased. The remainder of the group watched in silence as the ferry slowly floated away into the sea.

"..." No one said a single word. Instead, the remaining five continued on into the town of Firefin.

Firefin Island was not a location to be easily explained. Even tour guides for the island have a difficult time describing the island to newcomers or tourists. The island itself was considered a recreational, tourist island with white sand beaches. The town's residential and local services buildings had a rustic feel to it, along with the simplicity of the roads and scenery.

On the island was a lush forest. In that lush forest, Firefin Town was established. The beach surrounding the could be seen from the edges of the north, west, and east side of the city. The south part of the city extended down all the way to the beach, so South Firefin Beach was the most visited out of the four.

Even though it was a small, rustic town, its town center was completely different. It contained styles from modern, urban cities. After all, it was the center of music and arts in the squid civilization.

Graffiti was littered all over the building walls in downtown Firefin. Even the police didn't mind the graffiti. Only the highly offensive messages would be erased by them.

Firefin Island was all about self-expression. Most musicians, artists, writers, actors and models came from Firefin Island.

"They said that there's a legend where Firefin Town gifted people with creativity," Thalia said as she looked around the empty town.

"Really? Where did you hear that?" Phoenix asked Thalia.

"...I actually have no idea," Thalia muttered as she poked at a wall full of graffiti.

"Well, I'm betting that there's another Octarian here waiting to kill us all. We've been walking for almost an hour and we're almost at the center of the town, but nothing's happened!" Silver yelled.

Silver's yell echoed throughout the empty suburban area.

Right as Sapphire was about to say something, a knife whizzed past Silver's neck.

"WoOOAHH!" Silver bent forward just in time to dodge the knife. The weapon became lodged into the wood of a nearby house.

Sapphire started to scream. She quickly took out a burst bomb and threw it forward at the incoming knife. Unexpectedly to her, the knife cut through the fragile balloon of ink and continued through the air in pursuit of her. Fortunately, she bent backwards as the knife passed over her face.

The five centered themselves in the middle of the street, their backs to each other. They observed all of their surroundings but failed to conclude who was throwing knives at them.

Then, a half dozen knives came from nowhere and shot through the air like a bullet towards the group, who was only less than twenty feet away from them.

"KNIVES!" Thalia screamed in a high pitched voice.

Then the energy of the Bubbler surrounded each individual of the team just in time. Less than a second later, five of the six knives were embedded into the Bubbler's shield.

Acting quick, the five fighters took the five knives and ran to seek shelter in a nearby home. When Silver got to a house, he tried to budge the door open. Not to his expectations, the door opened easily, and everyone ran inside.

Phoenix and DJ Octavio leaned against the wall and panted, trying to catch their breath while Silver, Sapphire, and Thalia peered out the window on the lookout of the attacker.

When the distinct sound of slurping and the contact between the metallic spoon and the glass plate sounded throughout the room, everyone froze. As they looked behind them, they saw two older squids, definitely over the age of fifty.

The ink color of these two people was apparent: black. But their older age showed in the rich color of the black, where parts of their hair was gradually developing into gray.

"Honey?" the man said in a light voice directed to the other older squid, presumably his wife. "Is that Amy?"

They both looked at Silver. "No, Amy is _female_ and has _white_ hair," the older woman chuckled at her husband as she poked at the tip of her ink sniper.

 _Female? White hair? Amy? That's my mother!_ Silver began to think.

"Excuse me... Are you talking about my mother?" Silver asked slowly while the rest of his friends listened in.

"Mother? Amy had children?" the elderly man said in a tired voice. "Well, if she did, you certainly do look like your mother, Amy."

"So... You're my grandparents on my mother's side?" Silver reasoned out.

"Yup, sonny," the two elder people said in a gleeful attitude as they stood up from the kitchen table. They were fully geared up and had armed themselves with ink weapons already.

"How come you are the only people in this town?" DJ Octavio raised an eyebrow.

"I'm assuming that the Octarian guy is on your side," the woman whispered to Sapphire before her husband could answer.

"Well, I guess we were only people who could defend ourselves when they took over. None of them come in here, unless if they have a death wish," Silver's grandfather smiled, his eyes shining.

Then, with a loud noise, the front door broke down to the floor, an Octarian barging through. He was dressed similarly to a ninja, wielding two swords and a great supply of throwing knives.

As the new enemy slipped his swords out of their shafts, the Silver's grandparents yelled to the group of five. "Run upstairs! We'll take care of this one like we did the others!"

Not knowing what to do at the moment, Silver and his friends ran up the nearby stairs to the second floor, whose hallways had a bird's eye view on the first floor.

The old couple loaded their shotguns and shot a single bullet each toward the intruder. With a quick motion, the enemy held up his two swords in the air.

From the second floor where Silver and his group were, it seemed unreal. After the bullets were shot, they bounced off the swords back to its shooter. In an instant, Silver's grandparents were lying on the floor, dead.

Everyone was speechless. Especially when the enemy went to the corpses and slashed his swords through the flesh. Still with no knowledge of how to defeat this new enemy, the group headed into a new dilemma with the killer coming up the stairs towards them.

* * *

 **It's 11:45. Cool. Writing for about less than three hours. I started at 9 P.M. with about 1,800 words and now I'm wondering how I got to over 4,500 words in under three hours.**

 **By the way, I have school tomorrow.**

 **It's student-teacher day. Where the eighth grade has to teach all the little children in our school before we graduate. I was assigned to a third grade class with a strict teacher. I'm not exactly good with little children. They stare at me, I stare at them back because I have absolutely nothing to say.**

 **So... What did you all learn in this chapter? That Silver's grandparents just were discovered and died soon? That's GREAT BECAUSE THE CAPITALIZATION HERE is catching your attention, making you realize you don't know about Silver's grandparents which is implying that you skimmed over the chapter.**

 **Tsk, tsk. Naughty children.**

 **I don't know. I wanna take psychology in high school or college so I can trick you all with the lies hidden in my literature. (There are no lies in here. XD)**

 **This is one of the longest Author's Notes I've written since some of the earlier chapters. I guess that's because there's a lot of stuff happening.**

 **OHHHH WAIIIIIITTT**

 **I have to go to an FBI station for a field trip tomorrow. WHAT IF I DID SOMETHING ILLEGAL AND I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT BUT THEY SOMEHOW FOUND OUT AND I GET ARRESTED AND I DIE IN A PRISON CELL. _**

 **AND ANOTHERRRRR THINNNNNGGGG**

 **When I checked on the first week of March, this story was on the top ten stories when searching Splatoon in Wattpad.**

 **Well, now, it's ranked in the LATE TWENTIES: 27 or ever worse.**

 **There are some books that I like that catch my eye and want to read. They have unique plots and such. ^_^ PLEEEEASE COMMENT any story you think would be an awesome book to read that I have yet to discover.**

 **Because all books here are something to be adored and unique in some way. Remember that.**

 **Please share this book with other fans of Splatoon. Really. I strive for this book to have a good plot, good GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION, and consistency.**

 **And it's you guys who read this book that I keep writing for. You guys who push my creativity.**

 **Come on. We can make this family of masters even greater. :D**

 **Well, it's really late. Goodnight, guys. See you next time for Chapter 17 of Splatoon: The Corruption of Ink.**

 **Remember to vote if you love, share with the Splatoon Wattpadders (and whatever you call fanfiction users, sorry), and comment so I can see all of your perspectives and thoughts on this book.**

 **See you all soon!**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	18. Chapter 17: I'm Sorry

_As the new enemy slipped his swords out of their shafts, the Silver's grandparents yelled to the group of five. "Run upstairs! We'll take care of this one like we did the others!"_

 _Not knowing what to do at the moment, Silver and his friends ran up the nearby stairs to the second floor, whose hallways had a bird's eye view on the first floor._

 _The old couple loaded their shotguns and shot a single bullet each toward the intruder. With a quick motion, the enemy held up his two swords in the air._

 _From the second floor where Silver and his group were, it seemed unreal. After the bullets were shot, they bounced off the swords back to its shooter. In an instant, Silver's grandparents were lying on the floor, dead._

 _Everyone was speechless. Especially when the enemy went to the corpses and slashed his swords through the flesh. Still with no knowledge of how to defeat this new enemy, the group headed into a new dilemma with the killer coming up the stairs towards them._

* * *

Silver was unsure of what to do next. When the killer reached the second floor, Silver only did what his instincts told him to do. To fight.

His first option was to run forward, which he followed. He ran as fast a he could, wielding the knife that the killer had thrown at them earlier. Unfortunately, the Octarian was faster than Silver. Silver shuddered at the metallic sound of the sword being pulled out of its shaft and hesitated to run. The Octarian used this as an opportunity. Impulsively, the Octarian swung his left sword at Silver. Silver tried to block the attack with his knife, in which he was successful. Then, the Octarian swung his right sword when Silver was defenseless.

As he groaned, Silver risked himself. As the Octarian's secondary sword neared his face, he held up his hand and caught the blade of the sword in his hand. The Octarian smirked as he slashed harder into Silver's hands. Silver winced as he felt the sharp metal cut the inside of his hand. He was already losing grip and feeling in his left hand as the blood streamed freely out of the numerous large sword cuts.

"Silver!" Sapphire yelled in worry immediately after she saw the color red. "Guys! Throw your knives, now!" Sapphire demanded as she pulled out the knife that she caught from the Octarian earlier.

"B-But what if we hit, Silver?" Thalia asked in an uncertain tone.

Sapphire shook her head as everyone continued to take out their knives. "WHAT IF WE HIT SILVER?!" she asked in a loud, booming voice while smirking. "Well, I guess he just has to deal with it! Throw your knives!"

Silver heard everything. Immediately, he let go of the enemy's sword, which was fully stained with his own blood. Before the enemy could react and take another swing, Silver jumped through the air, dodging all four knives that were sailing through the air. Though Silver landed hard on his back, the knives thrown by Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and DJ Octavio stabbed the enemy to the wall.

Two of the knives punctured right through the Octarian's biceps. The other two had narrowly missed his body, but tacked his shirt and pants to the wall of the house. More blood was streaming from his arms, adding to the already blood-soaked floor. The Octarian could not take the pain in his arms anymore. He let out an agonizing scream as he dropped his

"No... Please!" the Octarian struggled to get out of the trap that the knives have put him in. He realized what Silver was going to do.

"PLEASE! NO!" the Octarian pleaded even louder as he backed up as much as he possibly could to the wall.

Silver looked like a weary fighter who was beaten up in a war. With a revengeful look in his eyes, he picked up the Octarian's dual swords, still stained with blood. He neared the enemy, inch by inch, while showing off the sharpness of the sword blades.

"NO! STOP!" the vulnerable Octarian tried to make Silver reconsider his decision.

Silver said nothing. Instead, he drove the blades of the two swords right through the center of his chest. The Octarian died instantly as blood poured out of his chest and his mouth.

Thalia flinched as she saw and heard the two metallic swords impale the Octarian's chest. Sapphire, DJ Octavio, Thalia, and Phoenix stared in horror as Silver repeatedly slashed at the Octarian's dead body, blood splattering everywhere.

Frustrated, Silver took all the weapons off of the dead enemy and kicked it off the second floor. A loud thump could be heard, echoing throughout the house. Silver limped to the floor, sat against the wall and buried his face in his hands.

"...S-Silver?" Sapphire stuttered. Slowly, she made her way to her boyfriend, who was drenched in blood.

"..." Silver didn't say anything.

"Come on... It's all over now," Sapphire cooed as she wiped some of the blood off of his face.

Silver looked up at her silently, his fearful eyes trembling.

"Silver? What's wrong?" Sapphire questioned him, sitting beside him against the wall. The other three followed and gathered in front of Silver.

"...I'm afraid..." Silver whispered as he buried his face in his hands again.

"Afraid of what?" Sapphire almost laughed. "There's probably no more dangerous Octarians around. What are you afraid of?"

"...Me..."

* * *

 **"** _ **The stars are pretty, aren't they?"**_

 _ **"Yes..."**_

 _ **"Well, you never know when one of them could explode into a black hole."**_

 _ **"Wait, that's incorrect. Only really massive stars explode into black holes. These beautiful ones are small ones."**_

 _ **"Whatever."**_

 _ **"...I know it's not scientifically correct, but I've always thought of stars like this:"**_

 __ **Stars are brilliant. They give us a sight to behold. Rarely seen. As the stars grow older, they face very crucial decisions. The stars have a great deal of power within them. It's what they decide to do with that power. Use it to fall into a pit of infinite corruption: a black hole; or use it, shine its briliant light upon others, and rise to a world of trust and confidence: an undying star.**

 _ **"An undying star? All stars die someday."**_

 _ **"I'm not being literal."**_

 _ **"Then what are you trying to say?"**_

 _ **"...The stars are us... As we grow older, we face life decisions, right? If we choose the immoral decision, we could fall into a pit of mistakes and regret. If we choose, the moral decision, you can be a light shining upon other people to follow and to admire. A symbol of positivity and trutfulness."**_

 _ **"You're being too philosophical."**_

 _ **"...Maybe I am..."**_

* * *

It was a familiar sight for Silver and Sapphire to experience: a sunset shining brilliantly on the water. The shimmering waves of the water along with the golden, dimming sunlight was reminiscent of their first date on Saltspray Rig, their returns to different cities and islands, and their hiatus from missions, mostly spent on beaches.

Silver was laying on his back, looking up at the stars, which were gradually becoming visible as the sun set. Sapphire was sitting cross-legged next to him, her phone in her hand. She had already told Sheldon that both Kettle City and Firefin Town were all clear to move back. Currently, she was checking all her social medias that she rarely used.

Sapphire watched as Phoenix and Thalia played in the water, splashing it at each other. They occasionally retreated back to her and Silver to get reinfected with CI-220 so they could withstand the water again.

"Silver?" Sapphire asked.

"...Yeah?" Silver responded as he casually and constantly picked up handfuls of sand and spilled them out from between his fingers.

"...Umm... Remember that dream I used to have?" Sapphire stuttered, "...o-of you dying to the Octarians or getting captured in Octo Valley?"

"Yeah, I remember," Silver said as he sat up and looked at her. "What about it?"

"Well, I don't have it anymore," Sapphire said, smiling slightly.

Unexpectedly for her, Silver sighed quietly. "What?!" Sapphire said at him, not satisfied with his response.

"...I remember what your mother said to us one time, 'If a reoccurring dream ceases all of a sudden, it most likely will become true soon,'" Silver said slowly, looking at Sapphire disappointingly. "You basically and unknowingly said that I'm going to die or get captured soon."

"...Oh..." Sapphire said awkwardly as she looked back at the ocean. "...Oh! OH! HEY!" she stood up and started waving her hands in the air. Soon enough, Silver, Thalia, and Phoenix saw the boat that was floating on the water looking like a boat from the sunset heavens.

In a few minutes, the boat slowed to a stop right beside the edge of the port where Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix were standing. As the whir of the engine cut off, the jolly Sheldon came skipping down to the port. Followed by him were some former residents of Firefin Town, thanking him for the ride, saluting the four fighters, and heading back to their artistic little town with grins on their faces.

As the people of Firefin walked past, Thalia couldn't help but stare at how weird they were dressed or how they carried themselves. "Silver? Why do they all look weird?" she asked Silver as she tugged at his hand.

"Well, everyone born and raised in this island believes in true self expression, and are somehow born distinctively unique with the power of creativity," Silver said slowly to her.

"Ohhh okay. They all seem like fun people," Thalia giggled.

"So... Events?" Sheldon asked.

"A dead Octarian in Kettle City, another here, and two dead, old people," Sapphire confirmed.

"Oh, and the Squid Sisters, Aidan, Chloe, and Sean left," Thalia added.

"Wait... Why?" Sheldon raised his eyebrow.

Thalia shrugged her shoulders while grinning.

"What about DJ Octavio and Clarisse?" Sheldon asked his last question, sitting on a board post.

"Oh, DJ Octavio's in Firefin scanning the area compensating for when he was lazy on the ferry," Silver muttered, but began tapping his fingers on his knees, thinking about Clarisse. "Umm... Well, I'm not sure about Clarisse. We kinda lost track of her at the beginning of the day," Silver said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"...Well, I hope you find her," Sheldon said quietly as he followed some of the more serious-looking people into Firefin Town. As soon as he left, Silver's mother stepped up to him.

"...Oh, hey, Mom!" Silver said, chuckling. "What are you up to?"

She glanced skeptically at the two octolings, Thalia and Phoenix, beside Silver and Sapphire. "Well, Sheldon announced to everyone back at Takoroka and all the cities past that that everyone from Kettle City and Firefin Town was able to come back," she sighed with a somewhat distant grin. "So why not come back to where I was born?"

"Umm... About that..." Silver said in a small voice. Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix took a step backwards. "There were two people in a house when we were fighting... They said I looked 'just like Amy,'" Silver said. "They thought they were... m-my grandparents..."

Amy gave her son a happy smile. Though, the happiness seemed very distant. "Oh, well, my parents _did_ live here... But I don't really know what happened to them after I moved to Inkopolis..."

By now, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix were waiting far away, afraid to interrupt their conversation. Even DJ Octavio joined them.

"...Why? What happened?..." Silver asked quietly.

Amy sighed. "...Maybe I'll tell you on the way there..."

"On the way where?" Silver asked, standing up. A few yards away, his friends stood up too.

"I'm gonna take you to go see where I used to live with my parents," Amy smiled slightly.

With those words, Silver felt his heart fall into his stomach. Her childhood house? The one they were taken into? The one where _they_ were killed in? Even his friends stood and listened as the tensity grew.

"Umm... okay..." Silver said, nervous and shaking. His mother began to walk to the town with him following slowly behind, letting his friends catch up.

"Dude... You guys are in for a wild ride..." DJ Octavio said as coolly and smoothly as possible, trying not to be depressing.

Silver face-palmed and mentally groaned. But DJ Octavio was right. He would be in for a wild ride.

* * *

"So..." SIlver's mother sighed. "...I'm gonna tell you about your grandparents, my parents." She walked along with Silver through the streets of the outer town.

"Oh no..." Sapphire muttered as she lead the others a bit behind Silver and his mother.

"When I was old enough to go to Inkopolis, my mother and father sent me eagerly, wanting to follow in their footsteps as highly respected battlers..." Amy said slowly, smiling at the memories.

Silver thought for a moment, trying as hard as he could to imagine his mother actually successfully battling. He failed.

"When I went to Inkopolis, I met Samuel, Susan, and Michael there. Apparently, they all went to school in Takoroka City. When I we went to try ink battling, Michael and I could never get the hang of it," Amy sighed. "Every day I was here, I couldn't even get past C+. Michael could, but he still wasn't as experienced as Samuel and Susan."

"...So what does this have to do with your parents?" Silver asked carefully.

"Well, I gave up on battling for a while, so I returned back here. Immediately, after my mother and father found out that I was at a C-, they locked me out of the house and told me not to come back until I was at an S+," Amy started to laugh.

Silver looked at his mother weird, not expecting her to laugh at something like that.

"...There's not really much to the story. I just got kicked out after yelling at each other and some nonsense, and we never saw each other again," Amy summarized as she neared her parent's house. She looked behind and saw Silver standing still.

"...Umm, is everything okay, Silver?" Amy asked him with an amused face. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"N-No, I'm just trying to... h-hold in a fart, and there's something stuck in my teeth," Silver lied as he squished his legs together and swirled his tongue in his mouth. He began panicking and sweating, realizing that the door to her house was open.

Sapphire and the others started to giggle behind them. "Silver looks like he has to go poop!" Thalia exclaimed as she doubled over in laughter.

"Wait, but why are the doors open?" DJ Octavio asked.

"...Because people are probably inside," Sapphire answered quickly.

"...Like who?" DJ Octavio said slowly, crossing his arms.

The image of Sheldon and a couple of medics carrying the bloody bodies of Silver's grandparents and the enemy Octarian flooded Sapphire's mind. A scared expression slowly crept onto her face.

"Yup. We need to go," Sapphire said as she ran up to catch up with Silver and his mother.

"...Are you sure you're okay?" Amy asked her son again, raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah! I'm fine. Let's just wait here until I get better!" Silver said quickly, his false acting fading away.

"But, I wanna show you where I grew up," Amy said, slightly irritated.

Sapphire took this chance to step in. "...HHHHEEYY, guys!" Sapphire interrupted them and leaned on Silver casually. Amusingly, Thalia copied Sapphire and leaned against Silver. Amy still wasn't used to seeing an ally octoling and jumped a little.

"...Oh, hey. What's up, kids?" Amy asked with a slight smile, her irritation going away.

"...Kids?!" DJ Octavio interrupted, to imply that he wasn't a child.

"Oh, sorry, DJ. But you know what I mean," Amy smirked. DJ Octoavio mentally groaned. "So, what's up, kids?"

"Umm..." Silver started to sweat. "Just fighting off bad guys..." Everyone smiled in agreement with Silver.

Amy looked at all of them weird. "You all sure you didn't get injected with some weird poison or something?" she asked in a skeptical tone as she put her hands on her hips.

"Umm, nope. We're just here, having fun..." Sapphire stuttered and tried to smile. But it looked all fake to Amy.

Then, the loud voice of Sheldon came from inside the house. "Come on! Get the body out of here! Then, we can take it back to Tentatique City to be analyzed!" Sheldon ordered. Immediately, three medics were carrying out the bloody, torn body of the Octarian to a nearby ambulance.

At hearing Sheldon's voice from inside the house, Amy turned around and nearly dropped dead from what she saw: the remains of the Octarian. Leaving Silver and the others, she barged into the opened house, seeing Sheldon kneeling beside two dead bodies slumped against a kitchen table.

The two dead bodies were her parents.

When Sheldon stood up, he froze, seeing Amy behind him, Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and DJ Octavio at the door. He frantically looked between the two dead Squids and Amy, beginning to realize the connection.

"U-Um..." Sheldon stuttered as he pushed his glasses up and looked down at his notes.

Amy walked forward to her parents as if Sheldon was invisible. She knelt down beside them and stared at their corpses.

Then, Sheldon stepped back, and everyone became silent. Unexpectedly, Amy was giggling. Silver's jaw hung slightly as he watched his mother giggle at her dead parents. Gradually, the giggling turned into laughter.

"...M-Mom?" Silver questioned cautiously.

She still continued laughing. Seemingly unconscious, she stood up and went upstairs with a giddy expression.

"Silver, I don't really know about these people, but after a quick study I performed on them, they are barely alive," Sheldon explained while looking down at his notes.

Silver looked confused. "What do you mean? That Octarian killed them," he said.

"Well, when they were murdered, did you see their soul rise from their body?" Sheldon asked them.

Silver thought back to the horrible memory where the enemy impaled the two with his knives. "No... All I can faintly remember is that they were 'killed'," Silver said. "I didn't really pay much attention to the soul."

"Well," Sheldon said in a matter-of-fact tone, "if you would have paid more attention to it, you would have noticed that the souls of your poor grandparents would have not risen to the skies," Sheldon explained artistically, complete with the fabulous had motions.

Silver sighed.

"Wait..." Thalia murmured. "If their souls are still there, are they still alive?" she asked Sheldon.

"You hit the nail on the head, octo-kid!" Sheldon said cheerfully in a laugh. "Exactly correct! I'm sure you all have seen... people die... in the Tentatique-Rockenberg war zone, as well as their _souls_ rise up afterwards."

Silver thought to those times. The fighters kept dying, and their souls ascended one after another that it became normal to see it. "Yeah, I remember that. Also, how are things going in Tentatique City?"

"Oh... They're still battling. It hasn't ended yet..." Sheldon said sadly.

Then, Amy's footsteps could be heard from above along with the exaggerated laughing. She came rushing down the stairs, giggling to herself. In her arms were the two trophies that her parents were awarded for winning the Splatoon Free-For-All League a few decades ago.

Laughing insanely, Amy forcefully threw the two trophies at her parents' dead bodies. "Haha... I didn't need this. Neither did you. You got what you wanted, right? Your grandchild is an AWESOME battler! Better than you all will ever be," Amy said as she kicked the corpses in a light-hearted manner.

Silver and his friends just stared at his mother in disgust and awe as she kept kicking her parents.

Abruptly, Amy stopped kicking. Then, her eyes began to seem distant. After a few seconds, tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. At the same time, two squid souls floated up out of the bodies of her dead parents.

Sheldon gasped. Then, ruining the moment, he ran over to the dead bodies and started to study them again.

"...Mom?" Silver asked. He walked towards her slowly.

"Silver... Keep going. You're almost there... Never give up..." Amy put her hands on Silver's shoulders. There were tears trickling down her face, but she was smiling. It was the happiest Silver has ever seen his mother.

Standing up, Amy ran out of her house, Silver trying to stop her, but to no avail.

"..." Silver stood there in shock.

"...What do you think happened, Silver?" Sapphire asked him after a while. She stood next to him and hugged him.

"...Something great..." Silver whispered.

All confusion gone, the house was left peaceful, decided by Sheldon to be kept in its current state temporarily. Even the bodies of Amy's parents were left there. Though, the memories of them still remained in the minds of Silver and Amy.

 _"I'm sorry... I... We shouldn't have forced you to follow our dreams... We should have let you follow your own dreams. But whatever you plan to do now... Go for it. Continue on with what you trust. And never give up..."_

* * *

"So, Silver... What's up for tomorrow?" Sapphire said as she laid down in the bed he was already in.

"...Hmm? Oh, we're going straight through Inkopolis," Silver said confidently in his half-asleep voice.

"Is Silvy already sleepy?" Thalia asked from a corner of the room, staring out the window at the moonlight shining brightly, reflected off the dark waters.

"Well, we have to go early tomorrow if we wanna do much," Silver said.

The five, Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and DJ Octavio were all in one hotel room, getting ready to sleep. It was Wednesday night at about eleven o'clock, everyone's belongings were set at the door. Phoenix laid sleepily in a bed near the door. In another corner, DJ Octavio laid uncomfortably and awkwardly in his own bed, trying to go to sleep while ignoring that he was in the same room with a bunch of teenagers.

"Aww... Okay, Silver," Thalia leaped into her own bed after turning off the light.

Nothing was said afterwards; everyone was too exhausted to say anything. Still, none of them knew what was happening in Inkopolis, or even what was happening in Octo Valley. The sweat and blood of a lone, girl inkling was scattered. She, camping out in a building in Inkopolis City, was very vulnerable to the attacks of a single Octarian, but she still managed to hold on in hopes of the arrival of Silver and his team.

* * *

 **WOOOOOOOO I'M DONEEEEE**

 **YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY**

 **So what's been up, you all ask?**

 **Lemme get all the regular ones out of the way: procrastination, laziness, writer's block.**

 **The new ones: piano, piano rehearsals, piano recitals, academic projects, people** _ **using**_ **me for academic projects, heartbreak, and some other stuff.**

 **But that's what I said for Wattpad, when I published this part there in May 2016. Now it's November.**

 **Well, the first few months of my freshman year of high school have passed. It's been busy, but I'm still alive. No need to worry.**

 **Is this chapter 17? Uh-oh...**

 **WELL THIS BOOK IS COMING TO A CLOSE**

 **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

 **It's going to end on Chapter 20 or 21.**

 **WELL...**

 **GO TO MY PROFILE, AND THEN ADD THE BOOK: SPLATOON: THE POWER OF INK TO YOUR LIBRARY.**

 **BECAUSE THIS BOOK WILL DEFINITELY HAVE A SEQUEL!**

 **I don't want you guys to miss out on the sequel. Please. I promise it'll be worthwhile to read it.**

 **Well, see you in the next chapter, where Silver and Co. go to Inkopolis to meet up with an old friend from not too long ago.**

 **GoOdNiGhT!**

 **(UPDATE: Whoops. I forgot to put the section breaks in for . Anyawys, it's all good.)**

 **~AuraMasterADV13**


	19. Chapter 18: The Beginning of the End

_"I'm sorry... I... We shouldn't have forced you to follow our dreams... We should have let you follow your own dreams. But whatever you plan to do now... Go for it. Continue on with what you trust. And never give up..."_

* * *

The most recognizable city of the squid island chain became clearly visible from the boat. The ruins of Inkopolis cast a dark shade on the boat Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and DJ Octavio riding on, as well as the remains of the construction of Hammerhead Bridge. Obviously, the fire in Inkopolis Plaza had subsided, though leaving infrastructure charred and unlivable.

Behind Inkopolis City and the natural territory were the mountains that separated Inkopolis and their target, Octo Valley. They were almost there. It could be the possible end to all this fighting.

But were they really ready for what was to come?

This time, DJ Octavio was smart, so he carefully steered the boat between the mines as they neared Port Mackerel. Those mines were visible from where DJ Octavio was steering the ship, so it was easy for him to avoid it, along with the help of Thalia and Phoenix.

Sapphire sighed as she shoved her phone in her pocket. She had been texting Aidan and Chloe to see what they were up to, but learned that they were returning to the Tentatique-Rockenberg war zone because of news that the squids kept getting pushed back. At least, Sean's recuperation was all set, and all he needed was a few weeks of rest.

Silver gave Sapphire a knowing smile and put his hand on her shoulder. Recently, he learned that his parents and a lot of other inexperienced battlers were going to the war zone to fight. Sapphire's father and his mother told him that they were planning on bringing all their turf war weapons and launching special attacks on the opposing side. From that point on, he was proud of his mother, and he began to trust her even more.

Though, before the group left Firefin Town, Sheldon had news for them about the Octarians. Even more refugees and rebels sided with the Squids, decreasing the number of fighters on the Octarians' side. But, even with the extended number of fighters on the Squids' side, the most experienced of the Octarians remained on their original side. Their ancient weapons, such as snipers, gatling guns, shotguns, and varietal explosives, proved to be a devastation to the Squids.

Everyone on the boat wanted the war to end. Even DJ Octavio. His plan had gone on too far. And he wanted to end it. The fighting back in Tentatique-Rockenberg influenced them to keep going and too keep fighting. They had already arrived at Port Mackerel, and there was no turning back.

* * *

All was still, all was quiet. After the group silently arrived in Port Mackerel, they split up into two different groups. DJ Octavio went to reclaim eastern Inkopolis alone so he could try to deceive any Octarians who thought he was still their king. Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix went left and made an attempt to reclaim western Inkopolis. Even if they were highly suspected, they had a larger force to fight. At noontime, the five would meet outside Inkopolis Plaza.

In the western areas of Inkopolis, Silver, Sapphire, Thalia, and Phoenix had no troubles at all. In fact, there were no _alive_ enemies. They were all mysteriously kicked off to the side and lifeless.

"Silver?" Thalia tugged on his sleeve. "Why is everyone dead already?"

Silver squinted his eyes and scanned the entire area. He even took out a sniper and looked through the small windows of tall buildings. Some of them were damaged from past warfare. When he found that there was no one to be seen, he shook his head at Thalia. "I... have no idea..."

Eventually, it was about ten o'clock in the morning, and the group arrived at the west coast of Inkopolis where Mahi-Mahi Resort was located. They had already cleared out every area of western Inkopolis, leaving them with the resort.

"Silver, I doubt that there's anyone here," Phoenix said to him, sighing. "We've already checked all of the west side, and there's no one!"

"But if there's no one here, then why were those Octarians back there dead?" Silver contradicted. "There must be someone here..."

"If there's someone here, wouldn't they be an ally, since that person killed those Octarians?" Sapphire asked him.

"You never know what that person's ambitions are," Silver shook his head.

As the group got to the front of the resort, they saw that the building was badly damaged, the decorations destroyed, and the parking lot vacant. When they entered the building, the windows were shattered, and there were bullet holes in the walls. Many decorations were toppled over or broken.

"This resort is creepy..." Thalia murmured, hiding behind Silver and Phoenix.

The resort lobby was very large with its ceiling reaching all the way to the glass roof. There were two reception desks near the rotating, glass doors. There was a large, wooden chandelier with tropical decorations at its bases.

Outside was an enormous pool in the shape of a quid forme inkling. Near the sides was the safe water that squids and other creatures could swim in without getting hurt. Separated in the middle was the real water, unsafe for the creatures in which Mahi-Mahi Resort's Splatoon stage was built in.

Before anyone could respond to Thalia, a bullet sailed through the open, broken glass, whizzed past the group, and lodged itself in the wood of the reception desk. Immediately, the group took cover and ran for shelter behind walls, tables, and couches.

Hiding behind a couch, Silver took out his scoped sniper and began to scan the pool for any signs of enemies. He started to motion to the others that he was going to run to the elevator on the other side of the lobby so he could get to the second floor for a better view.

...Silence...

Then, Silver dashed out of his hiding spot and headed straight towards the elevators. Behind him was a quick spray of bullets that were slowly catching up with him. Because the elevator was closed, Silver thought quickly and threw a burst bomb at the "up" button while he ducked behind a nearby couch.

The shooter from the pool stopped shooting, and all became silent again.

Silver took a minute behind the couch to catch his breath. One strap of his small backpack had been cut perfectly by a stray bullet. He glanced over to Sapphire all the way across the lobby who was wearing a "you're crazy" look on her face. Silver sighed and stared forward at the open elevator door in front of him.

All he had to do was run in, hide behind the sides of the door, and press a button. Any button.

...

Silver pushed himself off the back of the couch and dashed into the elevator, lugging his small backpack with him. While he was, he heard the cutting of air that a sniper bullet made right next to his ear. He threw himself to the inside of the corner near the door and stared at the buttons. A bullet had ripped through the button for the second floor. Not caring what button he pressed, he jammed his thumb repeatedly on the button for the fourth floor.

* * *

The hallways of the fourth floor were all clean, and nothing was damaged, which Silver expected, for there were no open windows. Doors to the multitude of hotel suites lined both walls of the wide and elegant corridor. Little ornamented square desks stood beside every door supporting a rainmaker vase filled with flowers.

Silver, not caring about which suite he barged into, started to jam the butt of his .96 gal into the electronic lock of the hotel suite door. Without even breaking off, the lock turned green, and opened swiftly. Two silver-colored burst bombs and a couple shots of ink greeted his face. He tried to cover his eyes with the last of the ink.

"...S-Silver?"

When Silver heard the feminine voice, he uncovered his eyes unexpected of the girl standing before him and the suite she was in.

In front of Silver was the girl that the group had lost count of since escaping from Tentatique: Clarisse. Her clothes were badly ripped or singed off, and some of her skin was burnt or had markings from bullets grazing past it. Her weary look in her eyes immediately changed when she caught sight of Silver.

"Silver!" she cried as she caught him in a hug. Silver hugged her back tightly with a smile. "I'm so glad that you came..."

"Clarisse, what happened?!" Silver said as he broke from the hugged and looked at her.

Clarisse tugged on her shirt and looked at him sheepishly. "Umm, I secretly left the group a long time ago. I came here."

"...And what did you do here?" Silver raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, really. Just battled and killed every one of the Octarians here except this one," she said as she smiled at him.

"...But why? You're all injured and hurt now!" Silver asked as he began to dig around in his backpack.

"I don't know. I guess I just did it to have another reason for you to forgive me." She smiled at him. "Come sit down."

Silver closed his backpack temporarily to follow Clarisse to wherever she planned to take me in the hotel suite. It was until now that he realized the drastic differences between the orderly outside hallway to this suite.

First of all, there were obvious bullet holes in the windows with crack diverging from it. There was a couch, a television on a desk, a kitchen and a dining table, and two other doors leading to the bathroom and the bedroom. There were glass doors from the dining room to the private balcony, but Clarisse had the curtains shut tight and the doors locked twice. As he visited each area of the suite, he found that the couch, bathroom, dining table, and the bedroom were piled with gear, weapons, and scraps of food and clothing that Clarisse managed to salvage from her battles.

"You... did all of this?" Silver asked her in an astonished manner.

"Yup," Clarisse beamed, wiping a slow stream of blood from her head.

"I-I don't know what to say..." Silver almost laughed as he sat on a chair next to the dining table and dug through his backpack.

Inside his backpack were a bunch of spare clothes, food wrappers, and a tiny medical aid kit. He took out spare clothes and his tiny medical aid kit and set it on the table.

"Here are some clothes. You're already half naked and vulnerable from your ripped ones," Silver sighed and shook his head as he handed a shirt and the regulatory black shorts to Clarisse.

"I guess I'll go change in the bedroom," Clarisse giggled as she took Silver's clothes and closed the bedroom door.

Silver returned his gaze on the weapons and gear on the table that Clarisse stole. First, he examined the gear, which was full of candy wrappers that the Octarians were probably snacking on while they were on guard.

Out of all the gear, there was one that stood out predominantly: a vest. Silver stood up and fitted the vest on, not expecting much. For him, it was a bit heavy and loose. Intrigued, he knocked on it to find out that it was harder than a rock.

"Silver!" Clarisse's voice came from the other room. "I... umm... accidentally cut myself."

Silver groaned as he grabbed his first aid kit and headed to bedroom.

Inside the bedroom, what Silver saw made him snap into action. On her upper thigh of her left leg, there was a long, bloody gash that was also cut through her old shorts. The blood was trickling down her leg onto the bedsheets.

"What did you do? You didn't even change yet," Silver asked as he took a bottle of water and a roll of gauze out of his kit.

"I accidentally reopened an newly-healed wound trying to get my shorts off," Clarisse said slyly. "Hehehe that's a funny vest you have on there."

"...You know what? I'm not even going to complain. Let met just get this over with," Silver sighed.

First, Silver put pressure onto the wound, though more blood seeped out. Quickly and carefully, he pulled off her black shorts and began to wrap the gauze around her thigh.

Clarisse giggled as she looked down at him. "Thanks for helping me, Silver."

Silver tightened the gauze into a knot after hearing his name. "No, thank YOU for wearing something underneath your shorts, Clarisse. You used to quietly announce that you were wearing nothing under your gym shorts in school."

"Well, I was weird and perverted back then," Clarisse reasoned.

"You still are now!" Silver yelled and laughed at her.

Suddenly, his laughter was interrupted by a loud bang and the shattering of glass. Gradually, Silver seemed lifeless as he jetted forward from a sniper bullet that was lodged in his back.

"...SILVER!" Clarisse yelled. She got off the bed and winced as she put weight onto her leg. Before Silver tumbled to the floor, she grabbed his shoulders and held him.

"...Huh... I'm not dead..." Silver opened his eyes and looked around. His eyes met with Clarisse's.

"...I THOUGHT YOU DIED!" she said a bit angrily.

"Well, I did too..." Silver said. "Just keep down to the floor for now, since the guy in the pool shot our windows." Then, he realized he was still wearing his vest, and he tried to take it off. Clarisse picked up on what he was doing and helped him lift the vest off his shoulders.

Silver turned the vest around and laid it on the floor. Right where his heart lined up was a bullet that was stuck in the materials of the vest. Clarisse stared at it open-mouthed.

"WHY DIDN'T I TEST THAT OUT EARLIER?!" she angrily asked herself. She took it out of Silver's hands and slipped it over her head and chest. Immediately, she took it off and gave it back to Silver, rubbing her larger chest. "That's hurts. I need a female one."

"I'm pretty sure there are some female ones that you stole," Silver reassured her. He stood up and gave her a hand to get up too. "Get your new shorts on. We've got a lot to try on."

* * *

"Come on, Phoenix! Just run as if you were running from a stinky sock!" Sapphire called out from the residential hallway that branched off from the lobby. It had no windows.

Just then, a sock shot through the window and landed next to Phoenix. It came from the Octarian in the middle of the pool. While Thalia burst out into laughter, Phoenix looked like he was about to throw up.

Like Sapphire said, Phoenix bolted through the rest of the lobby to where Sapphire and Thalia were, narrowly missing shots from a gatling gun.

"That was pretty funny," Thalia giggled at Phoenix, who only coughed from his nose.

"Look. The stairs, Without any windows," Sapphire said to the two octolings as she pointed to the end of the hallway. Indeed, there was a flight of stairs that seemed to lead to all of the floors in the building.

"Okay! Let's go find Silver!" Thalia cheered.

* * *

After about thirty minutes of searching through the second and third floor, the trio arrived at the fourth floor with food from ransacking the refrigerators of each room. They found a master card key beforehand that would unlock any room in the hotel.

"I can't believe that Mahi-Mahi has good refrigerator food." Phoenix mumbled as he chewed on rice and potatoes. "Even when it's cold."

"And good not refrigerator food too," Thalia said before she sank her teeth into a pink apple and a poptart.

"We still haven't found Silver yet, though. Do you think he'll be here in the fourth floor?" Sapphire asked as she munched on a bag of chips.

The others shrugged and continued eating.

Soon, they slowly but surely came to the middle of the corridor where the elevator was located after stealing more food from all of the rooms. Regularly, they came to the next door, wanting to open it to get to the food.

As Sapphire reached for the handle to put the master card key in, the door shot open, knocking he back onto the floor.

"...Huh... Oh... SAPPHIRE! OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY!" Silver ran through the door and knelt next to Sapphire. He lifted and pulled her up to stand, but she fell and leaned into his shoulder.

"I hate you Silver..." she grumbled as she stood up slowly and slapped his cheek.

"Sorry..." Silver said disappointingly.

Sapphire giggled. "It's alright, Silver." She dropped her stuff on the floor, cupped his cheeks and gave him a quick kiss on his lips. "I'm just glad you haven't died yet."

After the kiss, Silver was intrigued. He kissed Sapphire on her lips again. When he pulled back, he licked his own lips. "...What did you eat?"

By now, everyone went inside the room, tired of their public displays of affection.

Sapphire laughed at him kissing her again. "A lot of pouches of poptarts."

"Can I have some?"

"There should be some in the refrigerator inside the suite you just ran out of," Sapphire said, looking behind Silver into the open door.

"Apparently, Clarisse ate them all." Silver laughed.

"Clarisse is here?" Sapphire asked him. As if she commanded, Clarisse appeared in the doorway, smiling slyly at her.

"Oh, hey, Clarisse," Sapphire greeted slowly.

Clarisse stepped into the hallway and gave Sapphire a big hug. "Thanks, Sapphire for letting me... You guys mean a lot to meeee..." Clarisse said happily.

Sapphire was taken aback by the hug, but she eventually wrapped her arms around the purple-haired girl and smiled. "You're almost there. All three of us can do it when the war ends."

Clarisse blushed.

"Don't ruin her fantasies," Silver chuckled. "I'm sure that time will come soon." Silver said as he rustled her hair.

"So, what do you guys have here?" Sapphire asked, stepping into the suite. Immediately, the gear and weapons on the table caught her interest.

Thalia and Phoenix were in the kitchen rummaging through the cabinets and the refrigerator. The crunching of chips could be heard from Phoenix probably. "Yay! More poptarts!" Thalia exclaimed happily as she took pouches of poptarts out from the trash can under the sink.

"Wait... Poptarts?" Clarisse asked herself if she heard correctly. "Hey! Put it back in the trash! That's my secret stash!" She ran to the kitchen.

She ran in to an awkward situation. Thalia's shirt and shorts were filled to the brim with pouches of poptarts. "Uhh..."

"I guess you could say that hiding spot was trash," Phoenix said casually as he munched on doritos. Silver and Sapphire laughed while they were sorting out the piles of gear and weapons in the dining area.

After Clarisse had managed for Thalia to get all the poptarts out from her clothes, all five of them gathered around the kitchen table to discuss their plan to kill the Octarian in the pool.

"It's sad that the war's so brutal that we have to kill them to win," Phoenix said, trying to peek out the window.

Thalia pulled him back out of the potential sight of the enemy in the pool. "That's what war is, dummy," she giggled at him.

Silver cleared his throat. "Okay, so a majority of the gear here is bulletproof. Even some helmets and pants. We still have to be careful 'cause he can shoot at the neck, face, and feet. We'll bring five Bubblers for all five of us. For its usage, I'll lead first so we can run as fast as we can through the area between the building and the perimeter of the pool. Then, Sapphire uses the Bubble, and we all paddle across. Then Clarisse uses the Bubble third, and you all run through the stage to the middle, while I'll be using CI-220 to swim underwater and try to sneak attack the guy. All other unnamed Bubblers will only Bubble after the previous Bubblers have used it."

Silver paused to mark something important. "When it's your turn to use the Bubble, only use it when you think you need it the most. If you hear a gunshot and you're afraid, it's okay to activate the Bubbler and yell to advance."

"So... I go last?" Phoenix asked.

"Yup..." Silver sighed.

"...And hopefully, no one makes any fatal mistakes..."

* * *

Luckily in the lobby, solid walls separated the clear walls of glass, allowing for better cover. Silver, Sapphire, Clarisse, Thalia, and Phoenix hid behind those walls, anticipating the time to advance. The windows were all broken, so there was no trouble of having to break them and not get shot. Surely, the creepy old Octarian in the pool was keeping watch on the hotel.

Silver was determined. Sapphire was ready. Clarisse was weary. Thalia was overly excited. And Phoenix was overly nervous. Anyway, Silver trusted them, so what could go wrong?

Silver activated his Bubbler while running through the window. Everyone followed him in a sprint as all five of them sped across the concrete, bullets from a gatling gun bouncing off of their spherical shield.

Apparently, the gear that they had on had some Special Duration up, because the Bubblers lasted for eight seconds. It was enough time for Silver yell about getting in one of the inflatable boats for five people.

As all five of them jumped into the inflatable raft, floating on the edge of the enormous, squid-shaped pool, Sapphire activated her Bubble, again shielding the entire team. They all began to paddle with the included mini-paddles ringed to the side of the raft.

Silver's muscles were burning, trying to make it to the stage by paddling the boat as fast as he could to save the Bubblers, but it just wasn't enough. Past one half of the way through the pool and the stage, the Bubble deactivated, so Clarisse had to use hers. Even four seconds was enough to get into the stage.

Sapphire, Clarisse, Thalia, and Phoenix jumped off the boat into the stage, which was currently at its low form. Silver, meanwhile, was swimming down below the stage into the water to try to execute a sneaky attack on the Octarian in the middle.

As Silver did his best to swim through the water as fast as he could, he could feel the effects of the physique-changing poison wear away, which in this case, was bad. In a few moments, he could be hurt by the water. He hoisted himself up all the way on the similar opposite side of where Sapphire, Clarisse, and the octolings were. Quietly, he tip-toed across the ramp made of wire mesh, which led him to the spawn point.

The spawn point itself was dull from being inactive for so long. Silver crept low enough so that the Octarian in the middle couldn't see him over the platforms. Silver slowly stood up on the spawn point, peering over some platforms to see the enemy in the middle.

The enemy in the middle was a young adult Octarian. He had a grenade launcher, a sniper, a gatling gun, and a few pistols. They all looked lethal even closer. Fortunately, he didn't see Silver on the opposite spawn kettle, for he was busy dealing with Sapphire, Clarisse, Thalia, and Phoenix.

On the opposite end, Clarisse was hiding behind an elevated sniper platform while Sapphire and the octolings were still where they were hiding last. Suddenly, the power of the Bubble circulated through the whole team, activated by Thalia.

Phoenix ran forward and made an attempt to kill the Octarian. He threw a Splat Bomb up on the middle platform where the enemy was hiding. Swiftly, the enemy gathered his weapons and jumped to a side platform.

Right before he landed, a trail of silver ink appeared beneath him on the platform. Clarisse had missed her sniper shot from the sniping platform she was hiding behind before. The trail of ink slowed the Octarian down when he landed on it, but he hopped onward, dodging all the shots from Sapphire and Thalia.

As the Octarian got to the other side and hid behind a short wall, he sighed in triumph. But, he froze when he felt the cold tip of an E-Liter 3K Scope pushed in the center of his back. Before Silver could release the trigger on his E-Liter 3K Scope, the Octarian grabbed the barrel and tilted it upwards to the sky. It was too late when Silver released the shot.

The enemy Octarian grabbed Silver, shoved grenades into his hands, and kicked him off the platform. Silver already knew what he was holding, so he tried to throw it away as much as possible, but he was still close to it in the air when it exploded.

A fiery, air-shaking explosion shook obliterated a nearby platform and forcefully pushed Silver into the ground floor of the Mahi-Mahi Resort stage. The impact cracked the ground.

"SILVER!" Sapphire screamed as she ran towards him.

A hand pulled on her shirt, not allowing her to run. "Get back! The enemy is still alive-" Clarisse whispered loudly into her ear but stopped abruptly. Everyone stared up at the platform where Silver was thrown off. There, the corpse of a now deceased enemy Octarian hung off the edge of the platform.

"Hey!" a distant voice echoed through the silence. When Phoenix took his sniper and looked around, he spotted DJ Octavio holding a black sniper rifle while hanging out the side of the Mahi-Mahi Resort Building.

"Guys! DJ Octavio killed him for us!" Phoenix said to them.

"Wow. He had to kill him after Silver got hurt. Great timing," Clarisse muttered as she ran to where Sapphire was.

Sapphire was kneeling next to Silver, who had bruises, burns, and cuts all over his body. Sapphire was almost mad at him for getting himself hurt. "I told you to not hurt yourself..." she said disapprovingly with a bit of hurt in her voice.

Silver only muttered sorry as he winced in pain.

As if on cue, DJ Octavio sped in, boating a lifeguard's speed-raft. "Hey, guys. Need a lift?" He opened the door with a pitiful grin to Silver, who Clarisse was struggling to carry, Sapphire, and a weary Thalia and Phoenix.

* * *

 _Sirens rang. Metal doors shut closed. Soldiers and officials started charging towards the inner cell. They all knew what the inner cell held. They aimed their ink weapons, ready to incapacitate the prisoner._

 _It was one long, wide corridor. The soldiers formed lines with their ink guns aimed through the bars at the end of the corridor. There was a shadowy figure in the cell, standing up. The glint of his eyes could be seen._

 _Suddenly, the ink in the guns started to shoot itself out in streams toward the cell. The soldiers started to gasp when they found out that their ink tanks were empty and there were no puddles of ink left to be refilled from. All the ink formed around the prisoner in a protective, misshapen area while the soldiers began to call for reinforcements._

 _Even before the reinforcements arrived, it was too late. The Octarian's ink color, dark fuchsia, had been transformed into the Squid's warring ink color, silver. A little bit of the ink had solidified into the sharpest of knives that cut through the metal bars of the prison cell. A little bit more of the ink had solidified into a full, defensive armor around his body._

 _It seemed as if the ink was in his full control. The soldiers just stood there in shock as the ink penetrated them and took their lives away. Only a few of the soldiers were saved: some young octolings and Octarians forced to be recruited. The prisoner's eyes glowed with determination and intent._

 _It's as if the ink was controlled to his entirety._

* * *

And that prisoner in her dream was Silver.

Thalia woke up with a cold sweat and tears in the corners of her eyes. She swung her feet over the side of her bed and stood up to look around. As she thought Silver, who was asleep in his own bed, she wiped her tears away, thinking back to the rather vivid dream she experienced.

Silver had the main bedroom tonight. He was wrapped in bandages where his wounds were more serious. Sapphire seemed to fall asleep while attending to Silver, so she was in a chair, leaning over Silver's chest.

Thalia looked over to Clarisse, who was also in the main bedroom, but on the floor on a mat.

When Thalia returned to the living room where she had been sleeping, she noticed DJ Octavio on the floor next to the couch-bed, sucking his thumb. And Phoenix was there still asleep beside where Thalia was sleeping.

Thalia figured it would be best to tell Sapphire about the dream, so she returned to the bedroom and gently shook Sapphire awake.

"...Huh... Wha..." Sapphire slowly opened her eyes. When she found out she was sleeping on Silver, she sat up quickly and chuckled sheepishly at the person who woke her. Though, she quit chuckling when she saw the tears in Thalia's eyes.

"Thalia, what happened?" Sapphire asked tiredly.

"...Bad dreams..." Thalia said quietly.

"...Oh... Well, I really hope they go away, Thalia..." Sapphire said with good intentions but came out sounding apathetic due to her fatigue.

"About Silver."

Sapphire perked up. "What do you recall about it?"

Thalia broke a sweat. "Uhh... He was... in prison... And then all the ink... It..." she stammered.

Sapphire raised an eyebrow. It seemed vaguely familiar to her. Maybe if Thalia completed her dream...

Then, DJ Octavio and Phoenix came bursting into the bedroom, waking up Clarisse. All three of them seemed anxious and distressed.

"Dream! About Silver!" Clarisse, Phoenix, and DJ Octavio gasped.

"...Me too..." Sapphire and Thalia said subconsciously.

"Prison..." Phoenix muttered as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

"Dude, Silver's scary..." DJ Octavio glanced at Silver, who was stirring from his sleep. "He shredded them to pieces..."

"...How can he _control_ ink?" Clarisse looked confused as she tried to remember her dream. "That's... that's just i-impossible..."

Sapphire and Thalia looked at each other. Everyone looked at each other. Silver had woken up. He was sitting up against the bed frame, listening to the conversation.

"Who said I was scary?" Silver said, peering at DJ Octavio, who backed up in fear. "And what are we all talking about?"

"...Umm... About the dream we all _apparently_ had..." Clarisse said slowly.

"Dream?" Silver smiled. "Mine was awesome! We were all at Rockenberg sitting on the beach laughing and having a good time!"

Everyone facepalmed.

"Silver. You're in a whole lot of trouble in the future..." DJ Octavio murmured shakily.

"...Well, I'm ready to take on the future," Silver said as he jumped out of bed and out of his bandages. "I healed fast, and I feel ready to go fight."

"...Hold on." DJ Octavio shoved the curtains aside and looked out the window.

Outside, the Mahi-Mahi Resort Splatoon stage was still lit up by soft lights, but it was obvious that it was early in the morning.

"Okay... Let's just get some rest then... Then we'll have all morning to get ready to advance..." Silver sighed as he plopped back down on the bed while DJ Octavio shut the curtains.

Everyone looked at each other again.

"Silver's right," Clarisse muttered as she sat back down on the floor. She immediately fell asleep, snoring.

Everyone sighed as they went back to where they were sleeping, aware of future possibilities waiting to change their lives forever.

* * *

 **Okay wait. Don't scream at me. Yet.**

 **Hello. Been a long time. Huh? I hope not.**

 **Well, next chapter is 99% likely the last chapter of the book.**

 **So what's been up with my life?**

 **(Wattpad, sorry if this is a repeated A/N)**

 **Oh, a lot more than I expected. I graduated as valedictorian of my eighth grade class (but I'm not even in the final class picture... *cries*). I'm entering my freshman year of high school and I have assignments to do and places I need to volunteer.**

 **I've been rereading the Percy Jackson series because I started the Heroes of Olympus series after a whole school year, and I forgot what happened to Percy and Annabeth and Thalia and everyone else in the first series. I've also been watching movies, because honestly, I've been book, movie, anime, and cartoon deprived compared to everyone else.**

 **And I'm working out more. I wanna get into rowing in my freshman year and row some canoes across some random lake. :D**

 **Recently, I went to my first sleepover ever (I know. I'm such a social loser). My friend let me play Call of Duty whatever it's called, even though I'm a Splatoon kid. I was pretty good. I'm pwoud of meeeee.**

 **And lastly, I recently got a digital midi keyboard, so I've been recording music. All I need is a microphone and a few other stuff, and then I'll be set to pursue an online music career. :D**

 **And last lastly, this book. And Wattpad in general. After I finish this book and it's sequel, I'm not going to post chapters of books every month. I'm planning to work on a book without publishing it until it's completely finished and edited. So I don't lose all you lovely readers... *cries again***

 **Thank you all who've stuck around for the past months. It helps to see my book rise above a certain Splatoon Fashion** _ **Magazine**_ **that was ranked above this** _ **story**_ **. Oh, and I decided to split this into two books so I could maybe find new readers, and I didn't want to make a book 50 chapters long so I could get a lot of reads. I wanted to make two books to get its deserving amount of reads. I hope you all understand. Thank you all.**

 **Noooowww, you all can scream at me for being so late.**

 **Splatoon: The Power of Ink is available to be added to your Wattpad libraries at this moment. Go get ittttt nooowwwwwwww. :D**

 **Now that's Wattpad. As I said last chapter, yes, it's been a few months through high school already, and although it's been busy, it's been great. Sadly, next chapter will be the last chapter of this story, but the next book, Splatoon: The Power of ink will be published here on as soon as it's published on Wattpad.**

 **Anyawys, good night to you all.**

 **~Aura-kun**


	20. Chapter 19: The End

Silver winced as he pulled his tight armor over his body. It brushed against his chest, which was very sensitive due to it being closest to the explosion from yesterday. Sapphire quickly passed him, playfully punching his arm as she went to prepare. Silver rubbed his arm with a grin as he went to set his weapons.

Sapphire ran through the little hallway to the kitchen where she open the curtains. The bright sunrise peered through the windows, shining light on the contents on the counter. Quickly, she shoved a bunch of unwrapped poptarts into a toaster and put a plate full of rice and leftover breakfast food into the microwave. She sighed in content as she sipped from a random glass of milk from the counter and bit from a random poptart she singled out from the microwave.

"Sorry," Thalia giggled as she playfully shoved Phoenix and DJ Octavio out of the bathroom and went inside with Clarisse. Phoenix and DJ Octavio groaned and went to put on their armor and gear that Silver was handing out in the dining room. When they were all fitted with the appropriate gear, Silver led them out of the suite to go look for more equipment all around Mahi-Mahi Resort.

Sapphire sat down at the kitchen table, shoving some equipment out of her way as she held her poptart with her mouth and scanned her phone of the millions of notifications. Miraculously, she found it in her pack when she thought she lost it a long time ago. There were texts from her dad and a bunch of war reports from Sheldon and a bunch of group leaders.

According to them, there were different mini wars going on in the different islands when the Octarians found that the squid's leader, Silver, was gone. Apparently, the whole army was sent to target Silver. Now, while the main battle raged on in the Tentatique-Rockenberg wilderness, mini wars and violent street battles happened in the other islands and cities.

Sapphire set her phone on the table and stared out the window. It was a cloudless morning, and the sun shone so brightly that she could feel the heat radiating off every single thing outside and towards her. Then, while she was chewing her poptart, she began to wonder what Silver and the other boys were doing.

She flinched and almost dropped her poptart on the floor when she heard a squishy noise followed by something dropping and giggling. Immediately, Sapphire rushed to the bathroom and almost kicked the door open.

Inside, Thalia was fumbling to get her toothbrush. Her towel was wrapped sloppily around her body like it was about to fall off, and her electric blue-dark fuchsia hair and shoulders were too wet from inkwater as if she just got out of the shower only one second ago. The shower was still on, but Sapphire was sure she could see Clarisse's silhouette through the shower curtains.

Sapphire gulped. "Clarisse, what happened?"

Clarisse turned the shower off and stepped out, not caring that Sapphire saw her. Sapphire rolled her eyes and leaned lazily against the door. After Clarisse dried herself off and wrapped her towel over her chest, she said, "Nothing really," in a skeptical tone.

"Okay... Just wanted to say that Thalia's still underage: twelve years old," Sapphire said passively.

"...She's TWELVE?!" Clarisse gasped and stared at herself in the mirror.

"What's underage?" Thalia asked innocently.

"Remember when we took law before we graduated our education?" Sapphire shook Clarisse's shoulders while Clarisse crossed her arms so her towel wouldn't fall off. "We follow the age limits like the moralized humans did back then. We learn and grow faster, so at thirteen, we're basically eighteen. She's still twelve, so she's basically like a young teenager. Sure, we're thirteen and called teenagers, but she isn't!"

"Well, none of you told me she was twelve!" Clarisse yelled in defense. "And plus, it wasn't really the whole thing... Just a little..."

"It felt nice..." Thalia said innocently, her face reddening.

Sapphire sighed and let go of Clarisse's shoulders. "...Clarisse, you've already seen how clueless Phoenix is, and now Thalia knows more than him.

"Hey, she seems like the innocent, quirky, playful type. It's alright," Clarisse said as she ruffled Thalia's hair. Thalia giggled.

"Whatever. Just wait until after your thirteenth birthday before you do anything else, okay, Thalia? Please?" Sapphire asked Thalia sincerely.

"Okay, Sapphireeeee," Thalia said.

Then, they all heard the door handle creak.

"Go get changed and into your gear. Before they see you guys!" Sapphire laughed as she pushed the girls out of the bathroom, into the hallway, and into the bedroom.

Sapphire closed the door quickly and ran to the kitchen where the boys entered the room.

"Hey, guys! What did you find?" Sapphire asked, pulling down on Silver's shoulder.

"Get off meeeeee!" Silver laughed. He pulled a s'mores poptart out of a pouch in his pocket. "Look what I found!"

He quickly shoved the half of the poptart in his mouth and grinned. Sapphire tackled him to the floor and yanked his poptart out of his mouth with her mouth and ate all of it in one bite.

"Geez..." Silver muttered as he wiped his arm with his sleeve and shielded his face from crumbs falling from Sapphire's mouth. "I had a ton more in my pocket!"

Sapphire smiled dumbly. "Oh. Okaayyy," she giggled as she kissed Silver. Her mouth probably tasted too much like s'mores.

Thalia and Clarisse giggled at them as they came out of the bedroom wearing similar gear to what the others were doing.

"Silly, naive hipsters," DJ Octavio muttered. "Anyway, I got a bunch of Octarian equipment," he said giddily, pointing to a bunch of weirdly shaped and weirdly colored tools.

"What are they even for?" Clarisse picked one up and inspected it. She smirked as if she was gonna do something naughty with it.

DJ Octavio snatched it away from her. "I feel like it would be wise to explain it when I actually need it. We'd waste the whole day talking. It's already eight o'clock." He decided to mention the time at the last second.

"Oh yeah, it's eight o'clock. Get off me; we gotta go!" Silver playfully pushed her off of him and stood up. He gave her a hand and pulled her up from the floor.

"Okay. Let me do a quick check," Sapphire said, her eyes scanning the room and everyone.

"Gear, armor, and weapons," Sapphire checked everyone for those things. "Food and healing supplies?"

Clarisse held up a small bag full of medicine and poptarts. "Got it."

"Hey, what about our stuff in our bags?" Phoenix asked, holding up his bag full of personal stuff.

"We're gonna leave our stuff that we don't need for battle here in our suite," Sapphire explained. "I gave Sheldon our room number, and he can find a way to get this open after we leave."

"Oh okay. Just tell him to not go through my stuff," Clarisse said, scratching the back of her head.

"Why?" Sapphire raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Umm, no reason. Just tell him not to," Clarisse blushed.

"Okay. I'm not gonna question it anymore," Sapphire dismissed it. "DJ, got your stuff?"

"Yup," he said, holding up a bag full of lumps and random gadgets.

"Okay," Sapphire said. Then, she looked at everyone's weapons that they held. "So, judging by the weaponry we all have, Silver is sniping, DJ, Thalia, and Phoenix are the front runners; I guess you guys might be unsuspected, and Clarisse and me will be rolling paths with our rollers. Correct?"

Everyone mumbled an "uh-huh".

"Okay, then. Are you ready, guys? We don't know what we'll encounter, so we have to be careful. Thankfully, we have you guys," she smiled at Thalia, Phoenix, and DJ Octavio, "to help us along the way. Then, we might be able to save _both_ the Squids and the Octarians."

"Woo," Silver said casually as an attempt for encouragement.

"...Let's do this..." Sapphire said calmly. Soon, everyone grabbed all their necessities and poptarts and headed out of the suite in Mahi-Mahi Resort, which was probably the last safe place they would be in for a while.

* * *

The plaza was the same as how it was after the intrusion. It was a clear, sunny day, and the burnt and destroyed remains of Inkopolis Tower laid on the ground, the stains of blood and ink faded, but still slightly visible. The windows of Booyah Base were all broken, the shops itself raided of its items.

The Squid Sisters' Studio was broken into, but it still looked as fresh as it always had been. Fortunately, the tower didn't topple sideways, or it would have flattened a line of anything in its path, thanks to the weight of the Great Zapfish making it collapse vertically.

The Great Zapfish. Its electricity wasn't visible through the rubble. Though, no one dared to check, fearing they would come up across a bunch of dead, crushed inklings.

Lastly, there was the kettle that gave direct access from Inkopolis City to Octo Valley. It was as lonely as ever, though there was no Captain Cuttlefish peeking out to put inklings on an adventure.

"...I guess I'll be Silver today and lead everyone through," DJ Octavio mumbled as he peeked through the holes of the kettle, thinking there were mines set around it on the other side. "He tossed a stale cherry poptart no one bothered to eat through the kettle. Immediately, the sound of explosions echoed through the kettle.

"Well, thanks, DJ," Silver patted his shoulder. "Would have died already."

"Oh, you're absolutely welco- WAAUUGGHHH!" DJ Octavio yelped. Clarisse had managed to kick him in his butt, scaring him into his octopus form, free-falling into the kettle hole.

"...Well then..." Phoenix said, shifting nervously.

"Come on, Phoenix and Clarisse. Les goooooo," Thalia took their hands, pulled them to the kettle, and jumped into the kettle in octopus form. Clarisse and Phoenix groaned, laying on the kettle, not having changed form to get through.

"Dang, that girl is strong," Clarisse muttered, rubbing her shoulder. "Come on, Phoenix, we gotta catch up to your girlfriend!" Clarisse said giddily as she turned into She took Phoenix's hand, forced him in his octopus form, and pulled him through.

"Welp, let's go," Silver said, taking her hand. "I promise, I'll get us and everyone out of this."

"Well, you'd better," Sapphire said tauntingly as she cupped his cheek and kissed him. Then, she turned into her squid form with Silver, and they plunged into the kettle.

* * *

Finally, the group was at the peak blocks of Area 5, the UFO that was holding the teleporting kettle hovering closer and closer. Regardless of that, DJ Octavio decided to Super Jump everyone to the kettle. Once everyone landed, they immediately entered the kettle and arrived in Octo space.

Silver sighed. "Just like I remembered it."

"Yeah..." Sapphire agreed.

"...Sorry about that..." DJ Octavio coughed out after noticing that Clarisse, Thalia, and Phoenix were staring at him expectantly. "Anyway, past the place where you guys beat me, another jump pad forms, and it super jumps people downwards a long ways. There, a road will continue into the Octo space community."

"Okay, then. Let's get going!" Clarisse started to march on forward when DJ Octavio stopped her with a pull on the shoulder.

"Wait, I gotta check on something." DJ Octavio said, reaching into his bag of tools. "When we were searching and attained these tools, I came across my keys that someone tried to throw away in a womens' bathroom trash can."

"Wait a second, what were YOU doing in a womens' bathroom?!" Clarisse asked him, brushing off her shoulder where he grabbed her.

"Umm... It was Silver!" DJ Octavio said nervously, obviously the guilty one.

"Hahaha! Silver, you perv!" Sapphire said playfully, still knowing he didn't do it, while nudging him in the side.

"Whatever. And what is that you're holding?" Silver said, pointing out the long object that DJ Octavio had taken out.

"It's my keys, a.k.a the thing Clarisse wanted to play with," DJ Octavio had a laughing expression.

"YOUR keys?!" Clarisse gasped. She looked down at her shorts. "That TOY?! ...Umm, can I go take a shower or something when we get to the community?"

"Sure. In one of the outskirt houses. Don't care if people are there or not," DJ Octavio muttered. "Anyway, if you wiggle this thing back and forth," DJ held the base of the thing and shook the top left and right quickly, "it might get my vehicle back to me."

Clarisse laughed at how DJ Octavio wiggled the toy. Then, she screamed when DJ Octavio's turntable DJ stage robot vehicle popped up suddenly beside the floating ground.

"Yup, it works," DJ Octavio smirked and jumped into the seat behind the DJ turntable. "Come on, guys! Get in!"

After everyone squeezed into the small DJ stage, DJ Octavio took off with his robot, blasting loudly "Calamari Inkantation" on his programs. The subwoofers laid out around the vehicle were vibrating insanely, though the loudest of decibels inside the compact space didn't seem to make everyone's ears bleed out.

"I feel like because you put on this amazing finale-ish music, you're just jinxing our success," Silver muttered under his breath.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" DJ Octavio tried to yell over his music while driving through Octospace. "SORRY BUDDY. CAN'T HEAR YA!"

"I'm sure this music is gonna attract the enemy," Phoenix muttered.

"This music is stupid in general," Clarisse muttered as loudly as possible.

For some reason, everyone heard Callie's enraged complaints echoing through their ears.

"Umm, I meant that this music is stupidly awesome in general," Clarisse tried to fix her statement.

Immediately, the Callie-yelling in everyone's ears stopped.

"Holy Zapfish..." Phoenix muttered, confused at what he just heard in his ears.

"Well, anyway, let's just keep going," DJ Octavio said afterward. Apparently, he could hear everyone now.

A few minutes passed, both Silver and Sapphire reminiscing over their battle with DJ Octavio. It was surprisingly difficult for them, considering the width of different platforms that allowed at most one person to walk through with an addition of Octo Lasers/Killer Wails and smelly Octarian people.

"And that's the spot where DJ Octavio was flying towards us in slow motion. Then... BAM! Shot him in the nose!" Sapphire exclaimed like an overexcited tour guide.

Everyone laughed except for DJ Octavio himself, who just grumbled while he drove everyone through space.

"Hey, look! There's the jump pad to the octo space community," Phoenix pointed out as DJ passed it.

Sure enough, it was the final ramp where Silver and Sapphire had their final stand against DJ Octavio. There was a dark fuchsia-colored jump pad leading to wherever.

"Where now?" Clarisse asked tiredly.

Suddenly, without warning, DJ Octavio tilted one of his wasabi sticks downwards, and the DJ stage vehicle plummeted downwards, everyone holding onto the ceiling.

When it was all over, everyone was on top each other, suffocating Silver, who was on the bottom. He was half-passed out after everyone got off of him.

"Come on, Silver. You took a bullet from a sniper and then you pass out when people sit on you," Sapphire muttered as she pulled him up from the floor.

"Hey, we're here," DJ Octavio said as he lowered down into the community on a random road. From above, the community looked like a bustling, futuristic metropolis.

Everyone staggered out, tired of the Squid Sisters music, though no one bothered to say it out loud.

Silver, Sapphire, Clarisse, Phoenix, Thalia, and DJ Octavio walked into the community. Based on Thalia and Phoenix, it was unusually quiet. Futuristic buildings lined the streets, and different facilities were placed randomly. Cafeterias, shops, museums, laboratories...

There it was, DJ had pointed at a very large building.

It immediately took everyone back to the story of the Octarians using Thalia as a test subject. The reason why she had her human forme before age fourteen.

The random cheerfulness in Thalia suddenly disappeared.

"...I kinda wanna go in and investigate it..." Silver said quietly.

"You sure about that?" Clarisse glanced at Thalia.

"Yeah... I'm sure," Silver said. "It might give us some information we don't know. Remember, even stuff like this was hidden from the dense DJ."

"What was that?" DJ Octavio butted in to the quiet conversation.

"Nothing. Anyway, it'll be quick. Let's just have Thalia and Phoenix wait outside. I'm sure they won't want a tour of this place again," Silver said.

They all broke from the conversation and faced Thalia.

"Hey, Thalia... We're gonna go investigate this place. You can stay out here if you're not feeling it," Clarisse said quickly.

Thalia stared at the building. "...No, I'll go. I can do it. Let's go," she said quietly. She pulled Phoenix near her and lead everyone towards the laboratory.

"Well... okay," Sapphire sighed as she and everyone else followed the two octolings.

* * *

"Hey, by the way," Silver asked Sapphire as he held the double glass doors open for everyone, "How are Aidan, Chloe, Sean, and the Squid Sisters? Have you heard from them?"

Sapphire sighed. "Nope. I hope they're busy helping with the rebellion and not dead."

The lobby of the laboratory was as deserted as the lobby of Mahi-Mahi Resort. Their footsteps on the cold, metal floor echoed throughout the lobby.

Thalia led everyone to a large set of double doors. She looked at DJ Octavio patiently.

"...What?" DJ Octavio said after a moment of silence.

"You gotta open the door," Thalia said.

"What do you mean _me_? I didn't even know a lot of this existed under General Shadow!" DJ Octavio protested.

"Well, I'm pretty sure the key is simple amd stupid and requires something from a highly recognized officer, sadly, like chu," Thalia giggled.

"Okay. I'll try to be stupid," DJ Octavio said as he stepped in front of the lock.

Everyone sighed as DJ Octavio started dancing stupidly and cringe-worthily around the electronic lock.

"This is a waste of time. We need to get in or leave n-" Clarisse said and stopped abruptly.

DJ Octavio was in front of the now opened double doors, mid-twerk.

"See? I told you it was something stupid," Thalia said as she walked slowly through the doors.

Silver and Sapphire looked at each other. They sighed and followed Thalia into the hallway behind the doors.

The hallway lights were already on, shining bright and guiding towards the doors at the end of the corridor. Their every footstep echoed throughout the corridor as if the corridor itself was reminding them that they were alone.

Then, there was the experiment room.

It was quite a leftover, it seemed. It was circular with cells lining the walls. Open cell doors, unsanitary tools out on the table, the chair for test subjects splattered with ink and blood. The dead octoling bodies were littered at the edges of the room.

Those dead octoling bodies were lucky. They were still intact, otherwise thrown away if the result was a cluster of flesh.

Thalia was silent. Phoenix's stuttering voice echoed throughout the room, "...T-They did... _this_ to you?!"

DJ Octavio regurgitated in his mouth and vomited beside a pile of dead bodies. "T-There's no way I allowed any plan to this degree to be executed!"

Clarisse was inspecting everything in the room from the experiment area to the dead bodies. "...What happened to their clothes?" she asked, pointing at the dead bodies.

Thalia seemed to be half-conscious until Clarisse's question awoke her. "Oh... At least from what I know... they stripped us of all of our clothes. Then, they redistributed them in stores."

Clarisse stepped away from the pile of bodies. "Um, what the actual f*ck," she whispered slowly.

Silver and Sapphire were just dumbfounded, seeing what they saw before them. For a while, it was incomprehensible to them, taking octoling youth, stripping them of everything they had, and running experiments on them. None of this could have been foreseen on their first adventure to Octo Valley, to defeat DJ Octavio.

Then, a small section of the metal wall with no cells slid open, and an Octarian stepped into the open, releasing fire on the group from a Heavy Splatling.

Everyone in plain sight ran a different direction or rolled away while those near the experimenting table ducked behind it.

First to spring into action was Thalia, who activated her Bubbler. Clarisse and Phoenix joined her and attempted to back the Octarian up into a corner. Sapphire started rolling around with her Splat Roller trying to build up her Killer Wail special while Silver climbed up to an open cell on the wall.

After the Bubbler ended and before the Octarian could release another fire of ink, Silver's sniper ink shot pushed him back into the door he came from. Struggling, the Octarian stood up on the stairs in the dark hallway. DJ Octavio kicked the door shut, and Sapphire's Killer Wail destructively rang through its own path.

When DJ Octavio opened the door, the Octarian seemed to have disintegrated. But, the more obvious dark, descending steps stood out.

"...I think there's more to this area than what I actually thought before..." Thalia whispered.

DJ Octavio volunteered to go first, for he reloaded his .96 gal and entered the stairwell. Phoenix, Thalia, and Clarisse followed closely behind, Thalia splatting the ceiling, walls, and stairs to get her Bubbler ready. Sapphire went next, and Silver was last, armed with his Splatterscope, its scope taken off for a larger view.

The stairwell was dark, though as the group descended, it became more visible. Soon enough, the stairs stopped and lead to a flat and widening corridor. Their wet, echoing footsteps bringing to mind the heavily-inked floor.

DJ Octavio kept his .96 gal aimed in front of him. "I still can't believe I don't know what any of this is. I feel like I'm you guys," DJ Octavio muttered.

"Well, I guess you weren't a good leader," Thalia giggled.

DJ Octavio became silent.

"That's okay," Phoenix said. "He makes awesome music."

"Yeah!" DJ Octavio said enthusiastically as he regained his confidence.

"I still don't get anything at all," Clarisse said. "Less than a year ago, I was in eighth grade, I was crazy over Silver, and now there's a war."

"Don't worry. Just imagine that it's all just a game," Sapphire cooed and ruffled Clarisse's hair.

Silver didn't join in with the conversation. He didn't answer. He wasn't able to.

No one noticed him being silenced by a dark figure. No one noticed him being dragged into an unnoticed side door.

No one at all.

* * *

"Guys, I feel like the light is getting brighter," Thalia pointed out as she ploddex through the hallway.

There was silence after her remark. After walking a long distance through one straight hallway, everyone felt disturbed and suspicious, as well as mentally and physically tired.

"Yeah, I think we all know that," Phoenix sighed, "but I'm really curious to know where we'll end up," he said as more ceiling lights brightened up the corridor.

"I think you'll find out soon, Phoenix," Sapphire said. "Look closely; do you see that door all the way at the end?" Sure enough, there was a speck of a door way at the distant end of the hallway.

"Yup, let's go. We might have found something crucial," Clarisse said hopefully as they all started to run.

When they got there, they wasted no time. DJ kicked the door down and no-scope aimed his shiny, black sniper rifle. When he got a good look inside, he flinched and hesitated.

It was a much larger room, larger than anyone expected. The front wall of the conference-like chamber was comprised of glass. There were a bunch of holographs synthesizing the exact same arena with Octarians programming them on nearby consoles. Octarian soldiers seemed to be casually talking and relaxing near a refreshment table and all throughout the free space of the room befote the group had barged in.

Standing at the front of the room overlooking whatever could be seen through the glass was none other than General Octavian Shadow, wielding a lethal sniper rifle.

DJ only managed to kill five of the casually standing Octarians before he was overwhelmed and restrained by other soldiers.

Sapphire, Thalia, Phoenix, and Clarisse were able to shoot about 15 of the guards before they were, too, restrained. All five of them were coaxed to the side wall next to the door they entered with pistols aimed at their heads.

"...Checkmate. All is well that ends well," Shadow chuckled and straightened back a bit of his midnight black hair. He turned around and smirked at the group. "I guess... In my favor, at least. Wouldn't you agree, DJ?" His menacing, midnight black eyes pierced into the eyes of DJ Octavio

DJ Octavio said nothing. He was frozen in fear, remembering his last encounter with Shadow in his very own office. He remembered the sudden betrayal of the highest ranking official in his army.

"And... twerking? The password to this laboratory? You don't remember setting that? If I remember correctly, I was with you. Didn't seem sober, or I assume, you were just acting like your child-like self," Shadow stared right through him. "You know, a leader like you wouldn't set classified credentials as if it were a child's simulator game."

DJ stared right back at him with helpless eyes. "Wow... He's right..." Thalia murmured.

The guard standing behind her nudged her abruptly with his ink weapon.

"I guess, in this situation, you would be the slimy little hipster, wouldn't you be, DJ?" Shadow chuckled. "Do you know how outdated twerking is?"

"Wait..." Sapphire interrupted gazing all around her and at her friends, "where's Silver?!"

"...Silver, huh? You must be such a great girlfriend to him to not notice his absence earlier," Shadow remarked sarcastically.

Even a negligible, sarcastic remark by Shadow seemed to cut through Sapphire's soul. He was correct, even though he was antagonizing them.

Shadow smiled at her so emotionlessly that he seemed compassionate like sheer cold seeming burning hot.

"Well, I _guess_ I'll tell you where Silver is, just to be nice. I mean, I kinda wanna have a positive reputation here," Shadow laughed. "But, instead of telling you, I'll just _show_ you where he is."

Shadow beckoned for them to join him where he was standing. The guards holding them captive shoved them forwards towards the glass wall.

Shadow took a wired microphone and put it to his mouth. "Ready for simulation. Activate lights, activate transparency in all the spectating windows. Ready the soldier octolings and Octarians. Today's test will be fun, you'll see," he directed.

Suddenly, rows of overhead lights illuminated a massive arena. It was naturalistic, featuring a river, a lake, a small rocky biome, and forests filling the empty space, but not so much to obscure spectators' visions. The walls of the arena were lined with glassed sections occupied with cheering spectators as well as some scientists.

In the middle, Silver stood, seeming dazed from the bright lights. He glared at all of the Octarian spectators. Eventually, he saw the spectating capsule that his friends were in. His eyes met with his friends and Sapphire, who began crying and struggling against her restraints. Then, Shadow.

It was the first time the two met, no matter the situation at hand. Even Silver seemed unnerved at General Octavian Shadow's smirk.

"Simulation, start!" the black-haired general commanded. Some of the Octarians at the simulation consoles started their work.

Out on the field, waves of octolings began to charge at Silver. "NO!" Sapphire yelled and tried to lunge at the general, but again, she was restrained. Her eyes met those of her friends. Even they seemed to be hopeless.

Silver charged his trusty Splatterscope and threw a Splat Bomb while aiming at the incoming octolings. As he sniped all of the first wave of octolings, their injured bodies laying on the now bloodstained grass, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He knew that most of the young octolings had no choice but to fight him.

Above, synthetic clouds formed, and rain fell from the ceiling. Silver took to the forest, sensing no electricity in the air. A dozen waves of octolings ran for the forest, after him.

Silver pulled out his .96 gal and his Gold Dynamo Roller. In a clearing in the forest, he set a Splash Wall to guard his back. Holding his Splatterscope in his right hand and his Dynamo in the other, he began to snipe the octolings coming through the trees. Soon enough, he was surrounded. He flicked his Dynamo at one line of octolings, shot his .96 gal at another line, and released his Bomb Rush to the area he sensed the most of the octolings coming from.

Then, lightning struck a nearby tree, its thunder slightly deafening the people in the vicinity. Silver released his Inkstrike in the forest while bolting out of the area. As he arrived in the rocky biome, he glanced back to see an electrified inkstrike clear the forest.

The waves were now populated with experienced Octarian soldiers, wielding the most lethal weapons that Silver has ever seen.

Silver noticed some of them threw greenish gray almost spherical objects in his directions. Feeling unsafe, he bolted out of the rock biome and into the field, but it was not enough. A huge explosion sent rocks and debris flying everywhere and Silver to the ground. The Octarians aimed their submachine guns and shotguns at Silver, who was struggling to get up.

"NO!" Sapphire screamed again, biting the hand of the soldier who was restraining her. The soldier yelled in agony and aimed his pistol at her head.

"Soldier, remember the plan. We want them _alive_." Shadow said calmly. The soldier stepped back quickly.

Sapphire let out a battle cry, lunging forward at Shadow, pulling her fingers into a fist. He sidestepped easily and caught the fist she threw. He grabbed her by the hair and kicked her into the fiberglass.

She got up quickly, and threw a Burst Bomb at Shadow, temporarily disabling him. By now, even her friends were fighting back against the Octarians, learning that they were needed alive. Sapphire nodded at her friends and breathed in. "SILVER!" they all yelled. Their screams seemed to transmit through everything.

Everyone froze. Out in the arena, Silver's eyes turned hazy gray. He was floating mid-air, his ink forming into a solid, silver barrier to protect himself as well as silver shards that seemed as if they could cut through diamond. A flickering, unsteady shade of light illuminated his appearance as he sent the shards zooming towards the Octarians.

"Is that... Silver?!" Thalia asked in disbelief.

"...Yeah, but what happened to him?" Clarisse stared through the glass while Silver

The first few rows of Octarians were impaled, but the back row of snipers were not. Before Silver could reform more of his ink weaponry, the snipers had shot through his barrier. With one echoing shot, a bullet shot through the top right of his chest. With a jolt, he lost the life in his eyes and plummeted to the ground.

"No..." Sapphire murmured, she stared at the limp body of her boyfriend crash into the field.

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" Sapphire screamed madly. "SILVER!" She punched General Shadow into the fiberglass, threw a Disruptor at him, and began relentlessly hurting him.

It was too much for her to take. He already almost died in the battlefield at the Tentatique-Rockenberg wilderness border. Now, he seemed to be totally dead to her. Trauma fueled her anger and her violence.

Eventually, she began to be tired out from trying to kill the general. She unknowingly stopped punching the general, and all that she could do was gaze out at the arena, knowing that Silver was there.

Shadow had already ordered them to be tranquilized. In all the chaos, her friends were put to sleep and tied helplessly to the back wall. The tranquilizing solutions entered Sapphire's body and sent her into the deepest of slumbers.

Sapphire still felt alive. She still felt the power and invincibility she had earlier. But it was never there to begin with. Her anger and violence were only temporary. They were ineffective. Trauma was forever. It was effective.

Silver and Sapphire were perpetual.

But Silver was dead.

And so was she.

* * *

 **Splatoon: The Power of Ink will be momentarily available. A document will be published as a temporary placeholder for the story. Follow me/my fanfic account so you'll be notified when Splatoon: The Power of Ink is published. Aura-kun always returns. Kura-chan never gives up.**

 **You, the reader, are the best. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting. See you very soon in the sequel.**

 **Merry Christmas~**

 **~Kristian Quilon (AuraMasterADV13)**


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